Friday Fax
Volume 9, Number 22 | May 19, 2006
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Dear Colleague, The radical pro-abortionists have long had a target on Latin America and unfortunately they won a victory there last week. They succeeded in convincing the Colombian Constitutional Court to liberalize Colombia's abortion laws. Spread the word. Yours sincerely, Austin Ruse President |
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Colombian Constitutional Court
Decriminalizes Abortion for 'Hard Cases'
By Samantha Singson
(NEW YORK — C-FAM) By a 5-3 vote on May 10, Colombia's constitutional court has legalized abortion in cases of rape, incest, fetal malformation or for the life of the mother. The final ruling came down despite a provision in the Colombian constitution which declares the inviolable right to life. The decision overturns Colombia's ban on all abortions. In an explanation of its decision, the court called the complete abortion ban "disproportionate" and "irrational" stating that the life of a fetus could not be put ahead of the life of the mother. Abortion in all other circumstances remains illegal and punishable by up to three years in jail for the woman and for the doctor performing the procedure. Monica Roa, the abortion-rights lawyer who brought the case before Colombia's constitutional court, had campaigned for several years to overturn the abortion ban in the predominantly Catholic country. Colombia's Constitutional Court had turned down her case several times before, most recently in December 2005. After the decision was handed down, Roa said, "We are happy, celebrating together with women and feminists, doctors and academics and individuals who have worked for years preparing the terrain so that the suit was successful in the court and in public opinion." El Salvador and Chile are now the only two remaining Latin American countries in which abortion is illegal under all circumstances. Pro-abortion activists have stated that they hope the Colombian decision would enable other countries to do the same. The Catholic Church, pro-life organizations from across the globe as well as President Álvaro Uribe voiced opposition to the liberalization of Colombia's abortion laws. A petition with 2.5 million signatures, 30,000 letters from Colombian children and thousands of pro-life amicus briefs were sent to the Colombian magistrates calling on them to protect human life. Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said, "The depenalization of abortion is a judicial stupidity. The Constitutional Court does not have the right to say there is or there is not a crime. This is a bad decision, the fruit of international pressures that disrespect many Colombians." Pro-life groups and the Catholic Church have pledged continued opposition to the decision. José Galat, rector of the Gran Colombia University told the New York Times, "We are calling for civil disobedience, so Colombians do not follow these practices. We're going to call for a referendum to let the people decide if abortion should be legal or not because the court cannot impose this.". |
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Copyright 2006 - C-FAM (Catholic
Family & Human Rights Institute). Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required. Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 427 New York, New York 10017 Phone: (212) 754-5948 Fax: (212) 754-9291 E-mail: c-fam@c-fam.org Website: www.c-fam.org |