- After more than six years of technical work initiated by the Federal Ministry of Health, the new regulation places Mexico at the international forefront of the regulation of contraception and family planning services.
- Ipas LAC, together with other organizations, contributed clinical and legal expertise that strengthened the approach based on sexual and reproductive rights.
Following a six-year update process led by the Ministry of Health through the National Center for Gender Equity, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Mexico now has a new NOM-005-SSA-2025 that redefines the standard for the provision of contraception and family planning services in the country.
The new version of the regulation, published today in the Official Gazette of the Federation, incorporates the latest scientific evidence, recommendations from the World Health Organization, and a sexual and reproductive rights-based approach that clearly outlines how these services should be provided in all health facilities across the country.
Having a standard of this kind is essential because it establishes the mandatory criteria that all healthcare facilities and staff must meet, not only in technical terms but also in legal terms:
- Clear and sufficient information for decision-making.
- Appropriate guidance during care.
- Informed and revocable consent.
- Strict confidentiality.
- Free access to contraceptives.
- Actual availability of methods at health care facilities.
- Access to contraception following an obstetric event (childbirth, cesarean section, or abortion).
“Ipas LAC participated in the revision process as an expert organization in sexual and reproductive health, providing clinical and legal input that strengthened the rights-based and autonomy-focused approach in the final text”, said Marisol Escudero Martínez, deputy director of Advocacy at Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean.
Significant changes from the previous version:
- It focuses on the independence of the users.
- It establishes clear requirements for providing information and confidential care to adolescents, tailored to their age and circumstances.
- It incorporates standards for inclusive care and information for people with disabilities and those in vulnerable situations.
- It reduces the discretion of healthcare personnel by establishing clear obligations.
According to Mara Zaragoza, Deputy Director of Capacity Building at Ipas LAC, “this update provides clear, up-to-date guidelines for health care providers to deliver contraceptive services based on scientific evidence and respect for people’s sexual and reproductive rights. This provides greater clarity on how services should be provided to protect people’s free and informed decisions.”
With this update, Mexico has established itself as one of the countries with a robust and up-to-date regulatory framework to ensure access to family planning and contraception services, from an intersectional perspective, as part of the right to health and reproductive autonomy.