AMERICA/COLOMBIA – The Bishops: “Direct abortion is an immoral act and a violent practice contrary to life”
Bogota (Agenzia Fides) – “Perplexity and deep sadness” were expressed by the Episcopal Conference of Colombia after the publication of the note of the Constitutional Court that “the conduct of abortion will only be punishable when it is carried out after the twenty-fourth (24) week of gestation and, in any case, this term will not be applicable to the three cases covered by the judgment C-355 of 2006 “.
The Bishops recognize that “on many occasions the reality of abortion responds to dramas that cause multiple difficulties and anguish to the mother and those around her”, and that “when the woman is a victim, it is reasonable that civil society and the legal system seek to defend and protect her”. However, they believe that “the assertion of a right ceases to be legitimate if it involves the denial or the trampling of the rights of others. One cannot hide or minimize the fact that any pregnancy involves the existence of another human being, different from the mother, helpless and vulnerable, who in turn has the right to be part of the human family”.
Protecting the so-called right to take innocent human life, the Bishops’ statement continues, “jeopardizes the very foundation of our social order and the rule of law. Direct abortion is an immoral act and a violent practice contrary to life”.
Faced with the path opened by the Constitutional Court, the Bishops wonder if there are not other paths which would make it possible to safeguard the lives of mothers and that of their unborn children, and they reaffirm that “the problem of abortion cannot be limited to pregnant women alone, but requires the solidarity of the whole of society”. According to the Constitution, every Colombian has the duty to act according to the principle of social solidarity, responding with humanitarian actions to situations that endanger the life or health of people. “Since this virtue allows us to create alternatives of good, where evil is considered the only option, we want to be the first to help find the right option when abortion seems to be the solution”. The statement, signed by the Presidency of the Episcopal Conference, concludes by recalling “He who came to bring life in abundance”, hoping that the State and all compatriots of good will, “spare no effort to protect and promote human life, even in the most complex circumstances”. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 23/2/2022)
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