In response to a deluge of murders in the Philippines, Manila Catholic Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle recently reminded Catholics that they should mourn the innocent lives lost to abortion, too.
Asian Journal reports a staggering 1,800-plus drug-related killings have taken place since the end of June in the island nation. Tagle told Radio Veritas on Sunday that Filipinos are right to call for justice in response to the massive number of drug-related deaths, but they should not forget about the unjust killings of unborn babies in abortions.
“As long as one is alive, whoever he or she is, that life is sacred,” Tagle told the church-run radio station. “I know that the spate of killings is becoming a big issue nowadays — they say, it affects even those who are not guilty, those who are innocent — but whether be a person guilty or not, we should give importance to life. And if a person is already proven guilty, give another chance to live — give chance to rise from old life.
“I hope that we’re also worried about abortion,” he continued. “Why are only a few people speaking against abortion? It’s also a form of murder. Let’s guard against abortion. Those who are not yet born can’t do anything.”
He urged Catholics to “be consistent to promote whole or integral life” and “not be selective,” according to Asian Journal.
The Philippines is one of many pro-life nations under intense pressure to legalize abortion. Last summer, CFAM reported the United Nations and pro-abortion groups demanded that the predominantly Catholic country legalize abortion and make abortion drugs readily available.
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Here’s more from the report:
In 2008, Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), a pro-abortion legal group, asked the UN to investigate an order issued by the mayor of Manila that the Philippine constitution protects the sanctity of life and the lives of mothers and their unborn children.
The Mayor also said the City of Manila would take an “affirmative stand on pro-life issues” and “promote responsible parenthood and uphold natural family planning not just as a method but as a way of self-awareness in promoting the culture of life while discouraging the use of artificial methods of contraception like condoms, pills, intrauterine devices, surgical sterilization, and other.”
In 2012, two members of the UN committee that monitors CEDAW, the women’s rights treaty, traveled to the Philippines to conduct a “confidential inquiry.” This was reportedly a first-of-its-kind investigation.
That same year, after 15 years of intense pressure from family planning advocates, the Filipino Congress passed the “reproductive health law” that lifted a ban on contraceptives and guaranteed post-abortion care for women injured by the procedure.
Abortion remains illegal in the Philippines, though abortion activists continue to pressure the country to change its laws.
