ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - March for life: "No" to the legalization of abortion |
Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - Korean Catholics march in defense of life:
this is the spirit of the "March for Life", an event held on the streets
of Seoul on 16 June to say "no" to the legalization of abortion and
reaffirm the commitment to the protection of human life. The Korean people are awaiting the decision of the Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of the law that prohibits abortion in South Korea. As Fides learns, those present at the "March for life" declared the legality and legitimacy of the provision and declared themselves "ready to oppose the abrogation of the prohibition of abortion", in the spirit of defending the life of the mother and child in the womb. Once they arrived at the Cathedral of Seoul, the demonstrators listened to Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop of Seoul, who addressed the people of Korea with a message that invites them to welcome and respect life. Cardinal Yeom said: "Life, which seems so fragile and insignificant, has an extremely strong power. We are all responsible for the limits and social conditions that force women to make irreversible decisions, but abortion is not the best choice, not even a matter of choice, we should try to build a culture that teaches to respect and love life together". The "March for life" is a global pro-life movement, launched in the '70s in the United States, to oppose the legalization of abortion and the protection of life. In Korea there is a Federation of Organizations with the aim of establishing the right "culture for life", emphasizing the value and dignity of life. Some civil society organizations insist on repealing the prohibition on abortion based on women's self-determination rights. According to the Korean Catholic community, the abrogation of the prohibition of abortion is not the right manner to respect women's rights. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 18/6/2018) |
Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God's Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.