AMERICA/ECUADOR - Bishops say new Health Bill must not become law: “it attacks the authority of parents, educators, medical doctors and introduces a culture of death, not life”

Tuesday, 7 November 2006

Quito (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Bishops of Ecuador continue to express serious concern with reward to a new Bill on Public Health approved by part of the National Congress, which attacks fundamental moral and constitutional principles. Bishop Néstor Herrera of Machala, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference has launched another “respectful but firm call to Catholic institutions, families and individuals not to let this law come into force: it violates the authority of parents, educators, medical doctors and introduces a culture of death not life". Bishop Néstor recalls several statements by the Bishops on this question including a letter dated 20 October addressed to the president of the National Congress and also to individual legislators, in which the Bishops affirm that the new Bill is contrary to the law of God, to natural law and to the dignity of every human person. The Bishop said the appeal was sent to legislators “representatives of a people with Christian convictions which can neither be ignored nor undervalued, also because while the majority of the legislators profess the Catholic faith, most fail to respond to their convictions and act more out of economic or political interests or those of pharmaceutical companies".
The letter signed by Bishop Néstor Herrera Heredia and conference secretary Bishop Luis Antonio Sánchez, makes three main points. First of all legalisation and imposition of abortion: the new Bill obliges public and private hospitals to perform abortion in the established cases, and violates the right of doctors to objection of conscience. With this measure "Congress has accepted a proposal contrary to the law of God, natural law and the dignity of the human person. The act of taking the life of an innocent person can be neither approved nor imposed". "The law violates the freedom of religion, thought and conscience of medical staff whose convictions are Christian, or based on authentic humanism".
Secondly the Bishops say the imposition of emergency contraception “in cases of 'domestic sexual violence (art. 32), 'for women affected with serious incurable illnesses or HIV/AIDS' (art. 68)". 'Emergency contraception’ usually means the ‘day-after pill’, known to be abortive". Lastly the Bishops say the new Bill violates the authority of parents and weakens the family giving government power to draft programmes for sexual education, over-stepping the right of parents to decide how children are educated. For all this the Bishops launch a "respectful but firm call to Catholic institutions, families and individuals not to let this evil law come into force.. it is offensive to God and all men and women of goodwill". (RG) (Agenzia Fides 7/11/2006; righe 37, parole 517)


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