A Mexican judge has ordered the release of seven women serving long prison terms after being convicted of homicide in cases of miscarriage in the country's central Guanajuato state.

A judicial decree was published in Guanajuato last Friday reducing the punishment of women convicted of homicide in cases of miscarriage.

'With the new juridical concept, these seven women will enjoy their freedom this very night,' state Attorney General Carlos Zamarripa told EFE Tuesday.

The women were serving sentences of up to 30 years after being convicted of killing their newborns. One of the women already spent eight years behind bars.

The most common cause of miscarriage is a lethal genetic defect of the foetus that arises spontaneously.

This case had sparked criticism from the UN officials and human rights activists. Since 2000, more than 40 Guanajuato women have been put on trial for abortion.

The Mexico City permits termination of a pregnancy up to 12 weeks after conception. However some states continue to treat abortion as a criminal offence.

The Mexican federal law allows abortion in all cases of rape or risk to the mother's life.

Conservative-ruled Guanajuato, the only state in the country to defy a federal mandate to pass a law against gender violence, has highest rate of teen pregnancy.

--IANS/EFE

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