Presidential veto of abortion law in Uruguay a lesson for Latin America

Lima, Peru, Nov 19, 2008 / 17:14 pm

The third Vice President of the Peruvian Congress, Fabiola Morales, congratulated Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez this week for his veto of a law legalizing abortion in Uruguay and described it as a true pro-life lesson for the politicians of Latin America.

In a recent article, after noting that the approval of the law was marked by numerous irregularities, Morales pointed out, “Making use of the faculty granted him by the Constitution, Vasquez resisted the enormous pressure of his own party that unanimously approved the motion.  Days earlier the Uruguayan media even reported that no minister would support the president and would make a veto impossible.”

“This was totally refuted by public statements by the Minister of Health, Maria Julia Munoz, and by the Minister of Tourism, Hector Lescano. In the end it was Munoz who joined the president and signed the veto.”

Morales later recalled that Vasquez said he would veto such a measure on several occasions during his tenure and that his consistency and swiftness in issuing the veto were a sufficient testimony to his political clarity.  “Nevertheless, the statements that legally and politically sustain the veto issued by the President of Uruguay are a true lesson in the defense of life for politicians,” she added.

She also questioned how abortion promoters could paint Tabare as a religious fundamentalist in a far right-wing party for opposing those who consider the murder of an unborn child a right.