Pro-life caucus forms in Colombia’s Congress in aftermath of legalization of abortion, assisted suicide

Denver Newsroom, Sep 23, 2022 / 16:00 pm

This week it was announced that 54 members of Colombia’s Congress, including representatives and senators, joined the new pro-life caucus created to defend life, family, and religious freedom.

The announcement of the formation of the new multiparty caucus was made in a statement posted on social media Sept. 21 by several parliamentarians and by the United for Life organization.

Its creation was approved by the steering committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives, accepting the request of congressmen from various political parties, including the Conservative Party, Fair and Free Colombia, Democratic Center, Liberal Party, Radical Change, Green Alliance, and the Social Party of National Unity.

The statement explained that this new caucus “will give continuity to the efforts made by the Pro-Life Caucus that was constituted in the year 2020.”

“It will be made up of congressmen supporting the protection of life from conception to natural death, the safeguarding of the family in accordance with the provisions of Article 42 of the Political Constitution, and the defense of the guarantees for the exercise of freedom of religion and worship in the context of recent national and international events,” the statement explained. 

In a video posted on Twitter, the members of the pro-life caucus stated that “there is a major commitment to life, family, and religious freedom.”

The new pro-life caucus is made up of 25 representatives and 29 senators. Its members include Yenica Sugein Acosta, Daniel Restrepo, Teresa Enriquez, Juan Espinal, Mauricio Giraldo, and Luis Miguel López.

In February, Colombia’s Constitutional Court ruled 5-4 to decriminalize abortion up to six months, or 24 weeks of pregnancy.

By a 6-3 vote, the Constitutional Court decriminalized assisted suicide in May. 

In late August, Colombian authorities dismantled the Catholic chapel in El Dorado International Airport located outside Bogotá to turn it into “a space for worship and neutral reflection.”

Just days ago, a member of the Liberal Party introduced a measure in the House of Representatives to dismantle the Catholic chapel in the capitol building where the Congress meets and turn it into a “a space of neutral worship,” despite the fact that there is already a space set aside for interreligious services.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.