Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lima (Agenzia Fides) - "The Bishops of Peru, faced with the approval of the National Technical Guide for therapeutic abortion by the Ministry of Health, are turning to the Catholic faithful, citizenship and especially to the authority of the Executive, to express as follows: our firm rejection concerning this legislation that opens the door for the first time in the history of Peru, to abortion, that is to say, to the murder of an innocent human life. This ministerial regulation as well as being immoral is also unconstitutional and illegal".
This is the text of the communiqué of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, sent to Fides Agency, which emphasizes that "both the pregnant mother and the unborn have the same right to life, both must be protected by the State". The Bishops decry that "with this legislation, the Ministry of Health has ignored the will of the majority of Peruvians who have expressed the defense of life and the rejection of abortion". The press release informs that, according to experts in the field, "in exceptional cases, where the life of the mother and her child is at risk, today there are many resources available, thanks to medical technology, which can save both lives".
For the Peruvian government the Guide for therapeutic abortion is part of the implementation of the National Plan for Gender Equality 2012-2017, which has among its objectives the reduction of maternal mortality. Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, Archbishop of Lima, has said publicly that the legislation for therapeutic abortion "is a guide to kill". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 02/07/2014)
