Argentina: Christians presenting united front against abortion

The issue on abortion will be on the agenda of the Commission of the Criminal Law of Deputies that will talk about this topic for the first time on Sept. 27. Representatives of those who support the de-penalization and legalization of abortion, and those who consider it an indisputable crime will talk part in this meeting. The problem however is enormous: it is estimated that half a million women abort every year in Argentina; more than 100 die, especially the poorest, the youngest and uninformed, who undergo the practice in deplorable conditions. According to official figures, for some decades, illegal abortion is considered the leading cause of maternal death in Argentina: since 1983, 3000 have died.

The meeting to be held on 27 September, will examine two projects that propose voluntary interruption of pregnancy, and five which ask for the amendment of Article 86 of the Criminal Code, which concerns legal and illegal abortions, with some variations. During the debate, representatives of the Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical Church, will present the joint document "Commitment to Life", which expresses their deep concern on this issue.

"We want to express our belief in a united manner about the value of human life from the moment of conception until natural death, and invite all to join this call for life", this is what is said in this text that is unprecedented and has, among others, the signatures of a representative of the Evangelical Pentecostal Brotherhood, of the President of the Commission for Ecumenism of the Argentine Episcopate, of Archbishop Nicolaos Matti Abd Alahad, of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, of a representative of the Evangelical Mennonite Church, of the Christian Community Church.

Recently, the Bishops of the Permanent Commission of the Episcopal Conference of Argentina have published a document where they sustain that "when a woman becomes pregnant, we are no longer speaking of one life but two, the mother's and that of her son or daughter. Both must be preserved and respected. Biology shows, through DNA, that from the moment of conception a new human life exists, which must be legally protected. The right to life is a fundamental right".