The Bishop of Mani, in the Dominican Republic, asks that the Penal Code draft be approved now without any modifications in favour of abortion.
Newsdesk (September 3, 2020 Gaudium Press) — Yesterday, Bishop Emilio Masalles, of Maní, in company with a representation of the National Commissions of Pastoral Life and Family of the Dominican Episcopal Conference (CED), has delivered a document. It contains the Church’s position on the possible reopening of the debate on abortion and it was presented to the president of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic.
“The rights of man are not subordinated either to individuals or to parents, and neither are they a concession of society or the State: they belong to human nature and are inherent to the person by virtue of the creative act that has originated it”, states the document. The move comes as a response to the president of the Chamber of Deputies who proposed to eliminate the Penal Code prescription penalizing abortion, opening the way to decriminalization.
The debate on the matter has already been exhausted in the local environment
For Bishop Masalles, the decriminalization of abortion is “an exhausted debate at the national level”. The attempt to introduce the subject delays the approval of a penal code, both “necessary and urgent”.
“The Catholic Church is in complete agreement with the Criminal Code Project as presented a few days ago in the Chamber of Deputies. It faithfully adheres to the constitutional principles governing the Dominican Republic and it is the fruit of long years of debates and discussions building the current consensus,” the document states.
The document delivered to the Chamber of Deputies includes medical and legal considerations in accordance with the Church’s doctrine defending the right to life from conception.
The text also points out that attempts to legalize abortion are the product of foreign economic pressures.
“The liberalization of abortion is usually an easy way to solve unwanted pregnancies. It also represents a profitable business for many. Moreover, it only causes an increase in the number of abortions in a nation,” the document reads.
With information from Aica
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