Archbishop-elect of Toledo rejects abortion as 'just another form of contraception'

Toledo, Spain, May 27, 2009 / 18:21 pm

In comments this week about the Spanish government’s proposal to overhaul the country’s abortion laws, Archbishop-elect Braulio Rodriguez Plaza of Toledo said abortion could not be considered “just another form of contraception” and that the practice points to “a failure in the sexual education of Spaniards.”

In an interview with the Toledo daily “La Tribuna,” the newly appointed archbishop said the government is not open to any criticism of the new proposals and that he is convinced there has been a failure to adequately educate Spaniards in the area of sexuality.  “The government has failed because unwanted pregnancies are not dropping and thus other solutions need to be found.  Abortion cannot be considered just another form of contraception,” he said.

“I think this can’t be ignored by the government, but they have dug in, and I don’t know why. I would like to know why abortion is being portrayed as a huge problem in Spanish society that must be addressed immediately, when there are other more serious problems,” the archbishop-elect added.

In the interview, Archbishop-elect Rodriguez said his appointment to the Archdiocese of Toledo was a “vote of confidence” from the Pope and that it is not like a political appointment in which the post is taken the next day. It has a different timetable, he said.