Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Chitré (Agenzia Fides) - Families and educators of Panama’s Azuero region diocese of Chitré, concerned by a loss of values in society especially the greatest of all values, human life a gift of God, organised a Pro-Life March 7 February. The event drew numerous people from different parishes, representatives of movements, schools and church groups. The March concluded with the reading of manifesto and Mass in Chitré’s St John the Baptist Cathedral.
“We refuse to be simply spectators while minority groups impose on society legal patterns foreign to our culture and heritage particularly with regard to principal and basic values such as respect for human life”. This was the opening statement of the manifesto read out at the end of the March. "Scientific progress - the text said - shows that from the moment of conception the human person is complete with material and genetic potential". Human dignity "is based on the human condition and this begins at conception". From the first moment of conception the human embryo is a human person and “must be treated as such with rights, first of all the inviolable right to life and physical integrity". The participants recalled that these rights "are subordinate to no one, neither individuals or parents, they are not conceded by society or the state, they belong to human nature and are inherent to the person by virtue of the creative act with which he or she was generated". The Marchers also affirmed that the fact that a person is denied recognition of rights from the juridical point of view does not mean that he or she lacks those fundamental rights inherent to every human person.
The Catholic Church in Panama began mobilising on this theme following changes in the Penal Code in discussion and succeeded in stopping a government project to extend de-penalisation of abortion (see Fides 3/2/2007; 7/2/2007). (RG) (Agenzia Fides 9/2/2007; righe 25, parole 347)
