Parents in Chile call free distribution of abortion pill “abusive”

Santiago, Chile, Sep 7, 2006 / 22:00 pm

The National Catholic Schools Parents’ Union in Chile has expressed its strong rejection of “the abusive and unilateral decision” by the Chilean government to distribute the morning-after pill, free of charge, to 14 year-old girls without a prescription or parental consent, saying it is an attack on parents’ right to educate their children according to their values and that those who distribute the pill, “risk being judged for grave violations of human rights.”

The organization noted in a statement that it is, “unacceptable that, while parents strive to provide a sexual education that forms men and women who maturely live responsible fatherhood and motherhood in the context of stable marriage open to new life, the government takes the abusive and unilateral decision to distribute the pill to girls in order to avoid pregnancy by taking the easy way out.”

Emphasizing the right of parents to, “carry out the duty of educating and protecting our children from every kind of aggression,” the organization said the distribution of the drug “to our girls, without the consent of their parents, makes the situation worse from both the moral and constitutional points of view.”

“Everything that affects our children concerns us,” the statement said in conclusion.