Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tegucigalpa (Fides Service) – The Catholic Bishops of Honduras have firmly condemned a campaign to promote and distribute the day after pill undertaken by the Honduras Association for Family Planning ASHONPLAFA and the Office for Public Health in collaboration with Marie Stopes Honduras (Marie Stopes International is one of the UK's leading abortion providers. ... ). The Bishops’ statement issued on 6 February 2004, underlines the value of human life: “life is humanity’s greatest God-given gift and consequently only the Creator may give it or take it back. Husband and wife collaborate with God to transmit life…abortion is an abominable crime against God’s commandment: Thou shall not kill”... “The day after pill – the Bishops say – is abortive since it deliberately and directly eliminates the life of the human person immediately after conception ”.
In view of this the Bishops of the Church in Honduras clearly state “it is not possible to be living members of the Body of Christ, that is the Church Chiesa, and accomplices in methods of abortion. Those who are accomplices are going against the God of Life and consequently they cut themselves off from communion with the Body of Christ”.
The Bishops end their statement urging priests, other pastoral workers and all lay Catholics to reflect in their communities on this serious problem to clarify misunderstandings caused by media propaganda often incomplete and misleading. They call for prayers that the campaign does not lead to another attempt to legalise abortion. The Bishops encourage doctors and nurses to refuse to propose and propagate this campaign of mass to destroy human lives. (R.Z.) (Agenzia Fides 10/2/2004; righe 22 - parole 296)
See statement in Spanish
