The Elderly and People with Disabilities Can Decide for Themselves – and They Now Will

Recently, senior citizens and people with disabilities gained greater rights in Mexico.

Mexican President Manuel López Obrador signed into law the National Civil and Family Procedure Code which established full legal capacity for everyone 18 years and older. The organization “Deciding Is My Right” was at the forefront of the movement.

Before the new law was passed, people with disabilities and older people were often deemed incapable of making their own choices. A third party could choose everything from them, including where they lived and with whom, as well as health-related decisions. The new law ensures that everything now requires the informed consent of the concerned person. Deciding Is My Right – a coalition of organizations of people with disabilities, older persons, and other human rights organizations – led the way, hoping these marginalized groups would be empowered with greater decision-making capabilities over their own lives. “We need to see the bigger picture: The recognition of legal status and legal capacity is a human right, it is universal, and it should not be attached to specific groups,” says Mariá Teresa Fernández, one of the coalition’s leaders.