Brasilia, Brazil, Apr 13, 2012 / 11:04 am
The Bishops of Brazil condemned the local Supreme Court's 8-2 vote on April 12 legalizing abortion in cases of unborn babies with anencephaly.
“To legalize abortion in cases of anencephalic babies, erroneously diagnosed as brain-dead, is to throw away a fragile and defenseless human being,” the the bishops said.
“It is ethically inadmissible to take an innocent human life, without exception.”
Anencephaly is a condition in which the brain is partially developed or completely absent. Over 80 percent of Brazilians have said they do not support abortion in such cases and the country’s bishops have repeatedly voice opposition to any such proposals.
After two days of testimony, Justices Marco Aurelio Mello (who wrote for the majority), Rosa Weber, Carmen Luica, Joaquim Barbosa, Luis Fux, Carlos Ayres Britto, Gilmar Mendes and Celso de Mello voted to legalize the procedure.