Mexico's Supreme Court Strikes Down Oaxaca's Discriminatory Health Fees for Sex Workers

The SCJN invalidated provisions of Oaxaca de Juárez’s 2025 revenue law that charged different amounts for the same municipal STD clinic consultation based on where sex workers ply their trade. The annulled tariffs were 96.16 pesos for those working in houses of assignation and nightclubs and 63.35 pesos for those working on the street or in bars. The ruling stems from a constitutional challenge filed by the National Human Rights Commission and was approved unanimously on a project authored by Minister Irving Espinosa Betanzo. Minister Loretta Ortiz Ahlf described the scheme as institutional discrimination, and the Court warned such fees can deter timely care and push people into clandestine settings. In the same session, the Court struck down other unjustified municipal charges in multiple states and urged local congresses and councils to revise revenue schemes to meet constitutional standards.