Monday, February 25, 2008

Mexico: Teen’s death ignites pro-lifers

The death of a 15-year-old girl during an abortion has served as a rallying point for Mexico’s pro-life activists, especially the country’s Catholic Church.

According to EFE, the teen died on February 15th and federal authorities blamed the doctor after tests showed that the girl was in the four month of pregnancy. (Only first trimester abortions were made legal in Mexico City last April.) Since the girl's death, the Archdiocese of Mexico City has increased their opposition to abortion through its literature and public demonstrations:

During a Mass celebrated with pro-life demonstrators who are calling on Mexico’s Constitutional Court to declare abortion illegal, the Archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, said politicians and public officials who support abortion do not speak for the Mexican people, who love life…

“This march is for the family and for human life,” Cardinal Sandoval said, “and it is an opportune moment for our leaders and legislators to take the people’s pulse” and to “pass consistent laws because they represent the people.”

“If they are true representatives of the people, they should represent them with dignity and reflect the values of this nation that loves the family and life,” he added.

The deceased became the first woman to die due to a botched legal abortion in the Mexican capital though one source claims that 6,132 authorized abortions were successfully done since last April.

Image- BBC News (Pro-choice activist protests in Mexico City)

Sources (English)- Catholic News Agency, LifeNews.com, The Latin Americanist

Sources (Spanish)- El Sol de Mexico

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