Spanish government playing with dictionary on right to life issues, critiques expert

Madrid, Spain, Jul 8, 2008 / 14:39 pm

Leopoldo Vives, the director of the Subcommittee on the Family and Life for the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, said this week that country’s government “is playing with the dictionary” by talking about the right to abortion and death with dignity.

“They do not want to say the words ‘economic crisis,’ but at that the same time they insist on saying abortion is a right, when it is a very grave attack against human life,” Vives told Europa Press.

He said that the laws that facilitate abortion or “fast-track” divorce are not the solution.  “Society must teach the responsible use of sexuality and provide alternatives to pregnant women, who often do not want to go through the traumatic experience of abortion.  For this reason, each abortion is a failure of society,” Vives said.

Likewise, he continued, to talk about death with dignity is to try to “deceive” society.  “We all agree that medicine is supposed to cure illnesses and that advances in the relief of pain should be welcomed. This is about putting medicine at the service of life,” he said.

Therefore, “despite the nice talk,” the government “is sending Spanish society on a macabre journey towards the culture of death” by championing abortion and euthanasia, Vives said.

“I would even say that the next thing they will propose is infanticide for children with serious illnesses,” Vives asserted.