Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that penalizing abortion is unconstitutional, a major victory for advocates of women’s health and human rights in the majority Roman Catholic nation.

“This is a historic step for the rights of women,” said Supreme Court Justice Luis Maria Aguilar.

The unanimous vote by Mexico’s top court comes just as north of the border, some U.S. states have taken steps to restrict abortion access, particularly Texas, which enacted the strictest anti-abortion law in the country after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.

Reuters