The Mexico Supreme Court voted Thursday to uphold a Mexico City law legalizing abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The court rejected arguments by life advocates that the nation's Constitution offers legal protection for preborn babies.
Jorge Serrano Limon, director of anti-abortion group Pro-Vida, said the ruling may influence legislation outside the city, where abortion is allowed only in cases of rape, when the mother's life is in danger, or if the preborn baby has severe deformities.
"Eight justices voted against life," he told the Los Angeles Times. "The fact is that a person has no protection before 12 weeks of life. It's going to spread across Mexico.
"We'll keep fighting. It's just going to be more difficult."
Mexico City legalized abortion in 2007, but 85 percent of gynecologists in the city's public hospitals have refused to perform abortions over issues of conscience.
