The new president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced in her first speech as head of state that she would be supporting constitutional reforms against animal abuse. This reform is part of a package of three proposals to include animals in the Mexican Constitution. From the Zócalo of Mexico City, on her first day in office, the president presented this reform as number 25 of the 100 commitments of her government for this legislature.
The initiative, promoted by the international animal rights organisation Animal Equality, already has more than 146,000 signatures of citizen support.
Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies has been discussing three constitutional changes to protect all animals from three different areas:
- Article. 3. Education will include animal protection in the curricula.
- Article. 4. The State shall guarantee the care and protection of all animals and their mistreatment shall be prohibited.
- Article 73. The Congress of the Union will have the power to issue laws on animal protection.
Dulce Ramirez, director of Animal Equality Mexico, said, “This support reflects how important and urgent animal protection has become for society at large, which through organization and determination has managed to get leaders to take these demands seriously.”
Animal Equality held a protest in October 2024 in support of the reforms, achieving the commitment of the Political Coordination Board.
In recent years, progress has already been made on the issue of animal welfare in the country. On 19th October 2023, the deputies of the Congress of Mexico City approved an amendment to the Law for the Protection and Welfare of Animals of Mexico City to restrict the sale of certain animals in public places, which was done by expanding the prohibition of spaces where live animals cannot be sold.
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