Politics
Friday February 3, 2006
Family Planning Law Pushed Through in Guatemala
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By Gudrun Schultz
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, February 3, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A law forcing the government to promote contraception and offer sex education classes has been pushed through by congress in Guatemala, despite opposition by the country’s president.
President Oscar Berger vetoed the family planning bill when it was initially presented. A vote in congress did not produce sufficient support for the bill to overturn the president’s veto—only 80 legislators voted against the veto, out of 106 needed. Despite the results, congress went ahead with revoking the presidential veto and enacted the law.
President Berger said that process was “irregular,” and he would appeal the decision before the Constitutional Court, reported the BBC. Catholic Church representatives will join him in that appeal.
Archbishop Rodolfo Quezada Toruno of Guatemala City said the family planning bill would be the first step towards legalizing abortion in the country by opening the door to the culture of death. Contraceptives, he said, would have the same effect as bullets.
Guatemala has one of the highest birth rates in Central America. It has therefore not been experiencing the birth collapse and subsequent demographic crisis of all nations that have adopted de-population measures. Only 40% of Guatemalan women use some method of birth control.
Guatemala has been under pressure from the UN and other western agencies to legalize abortion.
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