Mexico City, Mexico, Jul 24, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera, said last week he was hopeful President Vicente Fox would ban the inclusion of the morning after pill in the country’s health care program.
The cardinal said neither the president nor other top government officials were aware of the plan to include the drug, but he said he did not intend to ask Fox to ban it. “This is a matter for the President of the Republic and he knows whether or not he will authorize it,” the cardinal stated
However, Cardinal Rivera said he was hopeful that Fox—who openly claims to be Catholic—“will take action” now that he knows the seriousness of the situation. He also said that while the Church will not carry out any campaigns to discourage the use of the morning after pill, neither will she cease expressing her “conviction of faith” that “human life must be respected by all and above all.”
He noted that it is the responsibility of citizens to make the effects of the pill known and to defend their rights.