MEXICO, FEB. 1, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic Church in Mexico decried the Supreme Court´s decision that allows the abortion of handicapped unborn children.
In press statements, Bishop Abelardo Alvarado Alcántara, secretary-general of the Mexican episcopal conference, said that the law does not solve the situation of the unborn but, on the contrary, permits the murder of an innocent human being.
The bishop explained that the Supreme Court´s decision might be a first step toward permitting future abortions for other than strictly eugenic reasons.
The court on Wednesday, in possibly its most controversial decision, was unable to declare the «Robles» law unconstitutional, despite the fact that six of the 11 votes of the plenary favored this declaration. A registered 8-3 majority is required to declare a draft law unconstitutional.
During the debate, Ministers Mariano Azuela and Juan Díaz Romero contended that, not only does the Public Ministry have no faculties to authorize abortion in case of rape, but they also warned that to allow the Public Ministry to interrupt a pregnancy is a way of legalizing abortion. The Ministers stressed that the Constitution protects the right to life from its gestation.
