The central Mexican state of Hidalgo on Wednesday decriminalized abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, becoming the third in the conservative Latin American country to do so. The state legislature said the move was backed by 16 of the 28 members present for the vote. "Bravo, Hidalgo! One more state in favor of freedom and justice for women," the rights organization Information Group on Reproductive Choice said on Twitter. Unsafe abortion is the fourth leading cause of maternal death in Mexico, according to the group. Dozens of women celebrated outside the Hidalgo Congress with hugs and laughter, television images showed. Previously legal abortion had only been allowed in Mexico City since 2007 and in the southern state of Oaxaca since 2019. In the other 29 Mexican states the procedure is permitted only in cases of rape or danger to the mother's life. jla-dr/bfm