“Catholic schools cannot be obliged to teach abortion.”

AMERICA/COLOMBIA - "Catholic schools cannot be obliged to teach abortion." Address from Secretary General of Colombian Bishops' Conference

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Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - "Catholic schools cannot be obliged to teach or give lessons on abortion." This is what was affirmed by the Secretary General of the Colombian Bishops' Conference (CEC), Bishop Juan Vicente Cordoba Villota, in commentating on material coming from the Constitutional Court. In a meeting with journalists, the Prelate added that the Church in Colombia "absolutely rejects this declaration," an opinion shared by all Christians and Jews. "We express our closeness to our Christian pastors and to the Rabbis, and speak in their name at this time, in firmly rejecting that schools teach that abortion is a right." The Secretary of the CEC clarified that "abortion continues to be an offense."
This position does not represent an "act of disobedience to the Constitutional Court, but an act that defends the life and right of conscientious objection affirmed by the political Constitution," the Secretary of the Bishops' Conference said. The sentence C-355 of 2006 states that there are three cases in which abortion is allowed: rape, danger of death for the mother, or malformation of the fetus. In sentence T-388 of 2009, however, the Constitutional Court says that the government is obliged to spread awareness of abortion in educational institutions, as well as healthcare centers with personnel specialized in abortion, when requested and approved by a judge. (GT)

(Agenzia Fides 24/10/2009)

Links:
Colombian Bishops' Conference
http://www.cec.org.co