Mexico City, Mexico, Jul 20, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Several Mexican bishops have denounced the possible inclusion of the morning after pill in government sponsored health plans, calling it a “lethal weapon against the innocent.”
In an editorial published in the Archdiocese of Mexico’s newspaper Desde la Fe, the bishops called the decision by the Department of Health to distribute the pill irresponsible, and they dismissed criticism that the Church is out-of-touch for defending human life and the dignity of the person.
“The wrong decision by authorities is leading to a moral and social degradation, the costs of which we are already paying in a society that has become increasingly inhumane. It is not by distributing contraceptives in bulk that we will resolve the health problems related to sexuality, because this activity is not merely genital, but is rather an integral part of the person,” they added.
In Mexico City after Sunday Mass, Cardinal Norberto Rivera questioned the decision by Health Minister Julio Frenk to only follow the advice of the World Heath Organization and hastily allow the distribution of the pill. “This is a measure which Mexico does not need. There is no reason to place such a weapon in the hands of people in order to kill the innocent,” he noted.