Mexican bishops demand hazardous effects of morning after pill be made known

Mexico City, Mexico, Sep 12, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Several Mexican bishops are demanding government officials inform the public regarding the abortifacient nature of the morning after pill, which is now for sale in the country’s pharmacies, and regarding the pill’s adverse effects on women’s health.

Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar Martinez of Matehuala and President of the Bishops Committee for the Family lamented that in “the plurality of ideas prevalent in society, truth ends up losing, as there is a lack of information in society regarding the harmful effects on the consumer of the pill.”

Bishop Aguilar said that considering the serious scientific studies that warn of the risks the pill poses, it is inconceivable that “nobody wants to admit the truth and adequately inform society.”

He lamented that government officials do not want to acknowledge facts that are scientifically supported and that show that emergency contraception is abortifacient and dangerous.

The bishop called on young people to promote a more noble understanding of sexuality, as “the fruit of love within the context of Christian marriage.”   The Catholic Church, he said, “will not change its position on the use of this pill.”

 For his part, Bishop Ramon Godinez Flores of Aguascalientes said dialogue with the country’s health officials will continue in order to prevent the commercialization of the pill, as its use is harmful to the unity of the family and leads to the death of the unborn.