Bodies in Motion:

Challenges in Accessing Reproductive Rights for Migrant Women in Mexico

Abstract

Migratory journey through Mexico has become increasingly challenging for migrant women, particularly regarding access to sexual and reproductive health services. Although the Mexican Constitution guarantees the right to health for all individuals within national territory, regardless of nationality or migration status, in practice the lack of migration regularization and administrative barriers—such as the requirement of individual identification documents—significantly restrict access to medical services and the effective exercise of this right. An analysis of migrant women’s experiences reveals how these challenges intensify vulnerability and gender-based violence, leading to growing levels of exclusion and inequality that further compound barriers to basic services. These structural determinants result in insecurity, limited availability of comprehensive care, restricted access to contraceptive methods, mistreatment, and, regrettably, situations of abuse. Likewise, Mexico’s current restrictive migration policy, characterized by the containment of migration flows and the militarization of borders, further hinders migrants’ access to essential services and the full exercise of their rights.