NGO Parallel Report on the United States of Mexico’s Combined Fifth/Sixth Report on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ______________________ Submitted to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for consideration in the formulation of the List of Issues during the 60th Pre-Sessional Working Group (27 February - 3 March 2017) January 30, 2017 Submitted by: International Human Rights Clinic Associazione Luca Coscioni per la libertà di Loyola Law School, Los Angeles ricerca scientifica 919 Albany Street Via di Torre Argentina 76 90015, Los Angeles, CA, USA 00186, Rome, Italy Contact: Prof. Cesare Romano Contact: Prof. Filomena Gallo [email protected] [email protected] Prof. Mary Hansel [email protected] [email protected] 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................ 5 ABOUT THE AUTHORS OF THIS REPORT AND ITS PURPOSE ................................................................... 7 BACKGROUND AND FACTS ....................................................................................................................................... 8 I) MEXICO AND THE RIGHT TO SCIENCE ................................................................................................................ 8 II) MEXICO AND SCIENCE ..................................................................................................................................... 10 A. Insufficient investment in science and technology ............................................................................................................ 11 B. Poorly drafted, overreaching, and badly implemented laws ............................................................................................. 13 ONE: MEXICO AND GENOMIC SOVEREIGNTY ............................................................................................. 15 I) INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 15 II) BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................... 16 III) MEXICO AND GENOMIC SOVEREIGNTY ................................................................................................................ 18 IV) MEXICO’S INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS AND APPLICATION TO THE GENOMIC SOVEREIGNTY AMENDMENTS .................................................................................................................................................................... 23 A. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Violate Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Benefit from Scientific Progress (CESCR, Art. 15.1.b; UDHR, Art. 27)............................................................................................................. 24 B. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Violate the Duty to Take Steps Necessary for the Conservation, Development, and Diffusion of Science (CESCR, Art. 15.2) ............................................................................................................................ 27 C. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Violate the Duty to Respect the Freedom Indispensable for Scientific Research (CESCR, Art. 15.3) ........................................................................................................................................................... 28 D. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Violate the Duty to Encourage and Develop International Contacts and Co- operation in the Scientific and Cultural Fields (CESCR, Art. 15.4). ................................................................................... 29 E. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Violate Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Health (CESCR, Art. 12) ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 31 F. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Violate the Right to Work (CESCR, Art. 6.1) ................................................. 33 G. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Violate the Overall Duty to Achieve Progressively Full Realization of the Rights (CESCR, Art. 2.1) and the Prohibition of Non-Discrimination (CESCR, Art. 2.2; UDHR, Art. 2 and 7) ................... 34 1. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Are Retrogressive and Therefore Violate the Obligation to Achieve Progressively Full Realization of the Rights (CESCR, Art. 2.1) ......................................................................................................... 35 2. The Genomic Sovereignty Amendments Violate the Duty not to Discriminate (CESCR, Art. 2.2; UDHR, Art. 2 and 7) ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 36 V) RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................................................... 38 TWO: MEXICO AND ABORTION ............................................................................................................................ 42 I) INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 42 II) BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................................... 42 2 III) MEXICO AND ABORTION......................................................................................................................................... 43 IV) MEXICO’S INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS AND APPLICATION TO THE CRIMINALIZATION OF ABORTION ........................................................................................................................................................................... 46 A. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Benefit from Scientific Progress (CESCR Art.15.1.b). ......................................................................................................................................................... 48 B. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Health (CESCR, Art. 12.1). ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 49 C. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Life (UDHR, Art. 3; CCPR, Art. 6) ................................................................................................................................................................................. 50 D. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Religious Freedom (CCPR, Art. 18.1 ). .......................................................................................................................................................................... 51 E. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Non-Discrimination (CESCR, Art. 2.2 and Art. 3). ........................................................................................................................................................... 53 F. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Privacy and Reproductive Autonomy (CEDAW, Art. 16.1.e). ................................................................................................................................... 54 G. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Liberty (CCPR, Art. 9). ...... 55 H. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to Information (CCPR, Art. 19; UDHR, Art. 19). ............................................................................................................................................................... 55 I. The Criminalization of Abortion Violates Mexico’s Obligation to Guarantee the Right to be Free from Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment (CCPR, Art. 7; UDHR, ART. 5; CAT)................................................................................. 56 V) RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 57 THREE: MEXICO AND DIESEL ENGINE EMISSIONS ................................................................................... 60 I) INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 60 II) BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................................... 60 III) MEXICO AND DIESEL EMISSIONS .......................................................................................................................... 61 IV) MEXICO’S INTERNATIONAL