Spanish bishop hopes abortion will be eliminated from law

Madrid, Spain, Mar 31, 2008 / 14:23 pm

Bishop Juan Jose Asenjo Pelegrina has called for abortion to be eliminated “from all of our laws” because “human life has a sacred value that we all must recognize, respect and promote because it is a gift from God.”

In a reflection written for Pro-Life Day in Spain observed on March 31, Bishop Asenjo noted that there are many threats to human life, especially from abortion, which is “the voluntary and willful elimination of a human being at the request of his or her progenitors.”

This situation is part of the tragedy of the acceptance of abortion “without blinking by a group of our fellow citizens in the name of progress and women’s liberation,” he stressed, noting that its legality cannot be used as an excuse, “because not everything that is legal is moral.”

After warning that recent statistics show that social acceptance of euthanasia is spreading throughout Spain, Bishop Asenjo stressed the need to defend life “from its beginnings in fertilization until its natural end.”

Catholics, he said, need to be more sensitive to this issue and must make their fellow citizens aware of the importance of proclaiming the Gospel of Life.   “I support and encourage all institutions, whether they are religious or not, to promote initiatives in favor of life and that help mothers in difficult circumstances to generously accept the fruit of their wombs.”

“I urge priests, catechists, religion teachers and leaders of apostolic groups and movements to be a part of this day and to remind everyone that the right to life is the first fundamental right,” Bishop Asenjo said.