In response to the possibility that an Argentinean congressional committee might begin considering approval of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the National Secretariat for the Family of the Bishops’ Conference of Argentina warned the ratification of the convention could force abortion to be legalized in the country.

In a statement this week, the secretariat said approval of the Convention would “imply the renouncing of sovereignty and would open a wide door to the future approval of abortion.”

“The Church’s commitment is to support the rights of women and cannot be dependent upon agreements or recommendations that pretend to guarantee the practice of abortion as a public service,” the bishops said.

Likewise the secretariat warned lawmakers of the danger of a cultural dependence that ratification of the Convention would entail, as it would mean renouncing the values that characterize the people of Argentina.

Various provincial governments, including those of Misiones, Salta, San Juan and Mendoza, have expressed their opposition to the ratification of the Convention.