Abortion cannot be justified, teaches Argentinean archbishop

Santa Fe, Argentina, Oct 13, 2010 / 16:02 pm

This week, Archbishop Jose Maria Arancedo of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, Argentina devoted his weekly radio program to the issue of abortion. The prelate criticized groups who promote the procedure as a “right” that must be protected by society.

After recalling that the unborn child is a human being from the moment of conception with its own DNA, the archbishop noted that no matter how tragic the situation may be, the unborn child’s right to life, “which is the first of all rights,” must always be respected.

“This isn’t taking a right away from anyone, it is defending the rights of a person,” he explained.

The archbishop stated that the law must protect the dignity of every human being, which does not depend on religious beliefs but on scientific fact and human nature.  “We are dealing with a fact that transcends the individual and the private sphere, because both the life of a person and the culture of a society are at stake.”

Archbishop Arancedo pointed out that in the countries where abortion is legalized, the number of cases do not decrease, as abortion proponents argue, but rather dramatically increase and the practice becomes accepted. “How sad and unjust to hear, ‘the practice has become accepted,’ which is the same as saying, that a culture has been established. 

“The law that makes abortion illegal, therefore, has a preventative and pedagogical reason, inasmuch as it protects and defends the value of life,” the archbishop said. “For this reason, the true degree of civility of a nation is measured by how it protects those most in need,” he added.