EUROPE/SPAIN -
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) – Over 300 scientists, professors, and scholars from the various fields of Biomedicine, Humanities, and Social Sciences are defending the absolute value of the right to life and opposing the Government's initiative to change the juridical status of abortion and establish abortion without restrictions in Spain. The "Manifesto" signed by the 300, or "Madrid Declaration," has brought together experts from the medical science field in Spain, researchers, as well as professors, journalists, professionals, and specialists in humanities and social sciences.
Defending the right to life, beginning at conception, this group of intellectuals has signed a Manifesto that mentions that "neither the embryo nor the fetus form a part of a organ of the mother," that "an abortion is a simple and cruel act of terminating a human life," that mothers should be made aware of the psychological damages of post-abortion syndrome and that "the zygote is the initial corporeal reality of the human being." For these intellectuals, the fact that a girl of 16 years of age can autonomously decide to have an abortion "is a form of violence against women," not to mention a complete lack of responsibility. Among the 12 points mentioned in the Manifesto, they defend "human life in its initial stage, as an embryo and as a fetus" and they reject "the use of abortion towards economic or ideological lucrative interests." They call for a written and "correct interpretation of the scientific facts on human life in all its stages." The scholars also mention the social consequences of abortion, which they call "tragic" and regret the fact that "a society that remains indifferent to the slaughter of nearly 120,000 babies each year, is a society that is unwell and a failure." Likewise, they reject the possibility that at 16 years of age, a girl can abort without parental consent and claim that "an abortion law without restrictions would make the woman the only one responsible for a violent act against the life of her own son."
Among the signatures are those of Professors Nicolás Jouve, Dean of Genetics; César Nombela, Dean of Microbiology; Francisco Abadía Fenoll, retired Dean of Cellular Biology; and Julio Navascués Martínez, Dean of Cellular Biology. There are already over 300 signatures, which is no small quantity considering the fact that it was not open to the public, but specifically signed by persons of intellectual authority and excellence.
The document will be presented on Tuesday, March 17, at 11am at the Velazquez Hotel, in the presence of several of its signers.
(RG) (Agenzia Fides 16/3/2009)
Blessings+Deacon John
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