Mexico City approves comprehensive care system law

Mexico City's Congress has unanimously approved a historic law establishing a comprehensive local care system, a move celebrated as a significant advancement in recognizing care not just as a duty, but as a fundamental right and a shared responsibility between individuals and the state.

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The System of Public Care is now law! Today in the @Congreso_CdMex they approved that care should not fall solely on women, but be assumed as a collective and state responsibility.

Following the approval on May 26, Clara Brugada, the head of government, hailed the initiative as a "historic step." However, feminist organizations and collectives have quickly pointed out that the law's true success hinges on securing adequate funding, infrastructure, and effective mechanisms to translate its provisions into tangible public policies. The challenge now lies in ensuring the system moves beyond legislation to practical implementation.

Lawyer Úrsula Martínez, who has been instrumental in the legal battles supporting this agenda, explained that the city's constitution had an "legislative omission" regarding care systems. To address this, she and her colleagues, along with activists and caregivers, filed five legal challenges. These lawsuits aimed to compel Congress to legislate on care, leading to federal judges ordering the legislative body to act.

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We filed five legal challenges along with activists and caregivers so that federal judges would rule on the legislative omission and compel the Congress of CDMX to make the law.

Martínez elaborated that the absence of a care law previously violated constitutional rights to non-discrimination, gender equality, and fair remuneration for care work. "The right to care is a constitutional right recognized in the CDMX constitution," she stated, adding that the lack of specific legislation directly impacts the human right to care for oneself and others. This disproportionately burdens women and caregivers, as the state has not assisted in redistributing this load. The new law seeks to rectify this imbalance by establishing a framework for state support and shared responsibility.

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The right to care is a constitutional right recognized in the CDMX constitution, and although it is not recognized in the federal constitution, the fact that the city itself did not have legislation directly impacts the violation of the human right to care for oneself, to care for others and for self-care.