Deacon John
EUROPE/PORTUGAL - Over 80 per cent of the country's doctors have recourse to the right objection of conscience as abortion law comes into effect
Lisbon (Agenzia Fides) - Portugal's new law to de-penalise abortion came into effect on 15 July. The law was approved in an 11 February referendum despite more than 50% public abstention. This revealed that the government's proposal does not have the support of the people. The new law allows abortion until the 10th week of pregnancy at the mother's request. Although the law was approved by parliament, ratified by the president and published officially, heated discussion continues.
Two appeals have been lodged at the Constitutional Court respectively by Portugal's Pro-Life Movement and the Assembly of the autonomous region of Madeira which has refused to apply the law until the Court passes a sentence and the state assumes the costs of abortion.
The coming into force of the law was met with a high percentage of objection of conscience on the part of the government. Although the Health authorities have said hospitals are ready at the technical level, 80 per cent of the country's doctors are expected to have recourse to objection of conscience.
The director of the 'Life Foundation', Manuel Cruz, said the consequences of the new law will be not only economic since "abortion is always a moral, personal and social degradation to which society cannot remain indifferent". He said the de-penalisation of abortion presupposes "an impoverishment of the country. First of all because it is a renunciation of a good part of human resources, then for its demographic consequences, and also economic impact difficult to quantify". "Abortion - he continued - is the worst distortion of medicine because a doctor vows to cure not to kill. This explains the widespread movement of objection of conscience among Portugal's doctors. Many know that abortion is the practical acceptance of feticide and they refuse to collaborate in this crime".
For his part the spokesman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Portugal Mgr Carlos Alberto Moreira di Azevedo, said the bad law "is moving the consciences of many Christians and many are expressing their dissent because they consider the value of life an essential value". He said that "Catholic nurses and doctors have been encourage to have recourse to their right to objection of conscience and many have done so". "This comes as a surprise to the government: many hospitals will not be able to perform abortions because so many doctors are having recourse to their right to objection of conscience". (RG) (Agenzia Fides 17/7/2007; righe 35, parole 482)
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"In Cordibus Jesu et Mariae"
