Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone condemns the ratification of Amnesty International’s new abortion policy

Rome, Italy, Aug 21, 2007 / 08:44 am

“We cannot ever destroy life, we must always save life even if it is the fruit of violence,” exclaimed Cardinal Bertone in an exclusive interview with Vatican Radio about Amnesty International’s new abortion policy.

The human rights organization recently decided to change its policy from a position of neutrality to one that supports abortion, but did so without consulting its members.
 
However, this past week the organization’s delegates overwhelmingly approved the new policy at their meeting in Mexico City. The new protocol calls for abortion to be made available in the case of rape and requires the organization to push for the legalization of abortion in countries where it is currently outlawed. 

Cardinal Bertone expressed his regret that the measure was approved even though “the men and women of the Church throughout the world already made their stark opposition to this decision clear.”

“Violence cannot be answered with further violence; murder with murder; for even if the child is unborn, it is still a human person. It has a right to dignity as a human being”, the Cardinal reportedly said.

The Secretary of State also stressed that all forms of violence against women must be opposed. “The inhuman violence of rape must be stopped, and society must be mobilized to protect the dignity of women.”

He also pointed out that “the Church has promoted the dignity of women in its documents and encyclicals” but that these seem to have gone largely unnoticed.