Salvadoran archbishop thanks president for promise not to approve pro-abortion constitutional changes

San Salvador, El Salvador, Sep 23, 2021 / 17:00 pm

The Archbishop of San Salvador thanked Saturday the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, for his commitment not to approve abortion, gender ideology, or euthanasia in the constitutional reforms outlined by his government. 

In his homily at a Sept. 18 Mass for the nation’s bicentennial, Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas, who is also president of the Salvadoran bishops’ conference, said that “we want to take this moment to thank the president of the republic for the commitment he has expressed not to amend those articles of the Political Constitution relating to respect for human life from its conception to the final phase of human existence, in a natural way.”

The prelate also thanked Bukele "for his commitment not to approve euthanasia, as well as his commitment to defend respect for marriage as a bond established by God between a man and a woman."

The archbishop was responding to a Sept. 17 Facebook post by Bukele saying, “I have decided, so that there is no doubt, not to propose any type of reform to any article that has to do with the right to life (from the moment of conception), with marriage (keeping only the original design, a man and a woman) or with euthanasia.” 

A coalition of 75 pro-life and pro-family organizations had on Sept. 13 asked Bukele to reject such proposed reforms. And more than 26,000 people signed an online petition launched by CitizenGO which warned of the dangers in the proposed reform.

The constitution of El Salvador recognizes in Article 1 "as a human person every human being from the moment of conception."

The proposed reform was intended to add the term "in general", which could open the doors to the decriminalization of abortion.

In addition, it sought to impose euthanasia by establishing "the right to a previously consented death with dignity."

The proposed reform also aimed to eliminate the mention of the union between "a man and a woman" in Article 33 which talks about family relationships, and adds to Article 32 that the family will be protected "whatever form it may take."

The Salvadoran bishops’ conference expressed Sept. 13 its opposition to any attempt to open the door to abortion, euthanasia, or gender ideology.

However, pro-life groups have warned that the proposed constitutional reform, with the modifications offered by Bukele, still opens the door to gender ideology and threatens religious freedom.

The Salvemos a la Familia platform urged in a recent statement that there be no change to “Articles 25, 26, 57 and 58 of the current Constitution in relation to the fundamental right of religious freedom and the right of parents as the first, primary and irreplaceable educators of their children to decide the education that they consider most appropriate.”