8 dead, 22 injured
Legal abortion taking toll in Mexico City's hospitals
The president of the National Pro-life Committee in Mexico, Jorge Serrano Limon, says he has confirmed that eight women have died from botched abortions in Mexico City since the practice was legalized last year. City officials, on the other hand, claim that only one woman has died from abortion-related complications. Authorities acknowledge only the death of a 15-year-old girl at the Balbuena Hospital on Feb. 15. She bled to death following an abortion. (See "Dead at 15," California Catholic Daily, Feb. 22, 2008.)
"We have the information, the dates and the names of the hospitals where they died," Serrano Limon told Notimex, a major Mexican news agency. In addition, according to the Pro-Life Committee, 22 women have suffered severe injuries from abortions.
The National Pro-Life Committee and three other private civic organizations have requested permission to participate in public hearings on the legalization of abortion now before the Supreme Court of Mexico.
"We hope the justices will act in accord with the Constitution," said Serrano Limon. "We call on them not to issue rulings that are ideological or partisan in any way and to realize that life is the most important right."
Since abortion was legalized in Mexico City in April 2007, 6,400 children have been aborted.
(This is an edited version of a story provided courtesy of Catholic News Agency.)
