Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jul 6, 2004 / 22:00 pm
As tension mounts concerning the possible nomination of Carmen Argibay, an open pro-abortion justice, to the Argentinean Supreme Court, President Nestor Kirchner has sent an informal message to the Vatican to give assurances that abortion will remain illegal during his term.
According to reports, last week Kirchner took the opportunity of a visit by Juan Carlos Blumberg to express his convictions about abortion. Blumberg is an engineer who has become very popular in the country for his campaign “Axel Blumberg”--in honor of his son who was kidnapped and murdered--which seeks to bring the plague of kidnappings in the country to an end.
The Catholic Church in Argentina recently arranged for Blumberg to visit the Vatican and personally greet Pope John Paul II.
“President Kirchner and his wife, Cristina Fernandez, are decidedly against abortion,” Blumberg told Argentinean Archbishop Leonardo Sandri of the Vatican’s Secretary of State Office.
Blumberg also supposedly said that “the President asked me to let you know that Argentinean law punishes the practice of abortion and that while he is president, this law will not be changed.”
According to reports in the Argentinean press, Kirchner met with Blumberg a day before his trip to Europe. During that meeting, Blumberg expressed to him the concern of various religious leaders over Justice Argibay’s nomination to the Supreme Court because she is militantly pro-abortion. Kirchner supposedly decided at that point to send a message to the Vatican with Blumberg.
Nevertheless, Pro-life groups in Argentina consider Kirchner’s assurances insufficient, because if her nomination is confirmed this Wednesday, she will remain on the Supreme Court long after Kirchner’s term as president has ended.
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