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Spanish Pro-Life Activists Seek New Investigations of Abortionists Following Arrests

Socialist authorities in province of Catalonia are hesitant

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

BARCELONA, December 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) -   In the wake of investigations that resulted in arrests of Spain's most infamous late-term abortionist and several accomplices for violations of Spanish law, pro-life activists are lodging more complaints with the police against late-term abortionists.

Spanish society was rocked in recent weeks by revelations that Spain's "Tiller", Carlos Morin, was not only doing illegal late-term abortions on babies as old as eight months, but was also grinding them to pieces in food disposal units and flushing them into the sewer (see LifeSiteNews coverage at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112913.html). 

Now the Catalonian organization E-Cristians, who requested the initial investigation against Morin, is accusing more abortion clinics of systematically violating the nation's abortion laws.

E-Cristians claims that numerous members of the Association of Accredited Clinics for the Interruption of Pregnancy (ACAI), are performing illegal abortions, in a letter to the Catalonia's Health Minister Marina Geli. 

"There exist reasonable indications that reveal that numerous clinics that belong to the ACAI association practice illegal abortions," writes E-Cristians. "In fact, and as you know better than anyone, the low rate of abortions in public facilities has as one of its causes the refusal to accept all the legally dubious cases, but which are then diverted to private clinics." Over 97% of all abortions are done in private clinics, according to the Spanish publication El Pais.

Abortions are only legal in Spain if a doctor issues a diagnosis stating that the mother's health is endangered by her pregnancy, or in cases of fetal deformity or rape. The diagnosis must be given by a doctor other than the one doing the abortion.  Morin is accused of faking diagnoses and doing late-term abortions on women who do not fit the requirements under Spanish law.

E-Cristians adds that "The very spokesman for ACAI, Doctor Santiago Barambio, doesn't hesitate to give some concrete examples in his declarations in La Vanguardia (December 2nd). He talks about late abortions which do not entirely comply with legal requirements."

ACAI has begun a desperate media campaign in response to this citizens' onslaught, portraying themselves as victims of "harassment" and threatening to "strike".  "We do the job that no one wants to do, and on top of that, they treat us like murderers," said ACAI's spokesman Santiago Barambio in a recent interview.

Catalonia's socialist government, which favors abortion and homosexuality, has already responded to the request from E-Cristians by stating that they don't think they "should change the inspection standards, and a special inspection of all of the clinics accredited for abortions is not foreseen."

In addition to the new complaints against abortionists, Carmen Areoso Villaverde of Catalonia recently filed a formal complaint against the National Bank of Celular Lines of Granada for "genetic manipulation, abortion, injuries to a fetus, and offenses against moral integrity," presumably for their work with embryonic stem cells.  

Although the police attempted to press charges, the court dismissed the case on Monday of last week, claiming that the organization's work stood within the framework of Spanish law, and that the accusations were only based on a magazine article.

Related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Late Term Abortionist Arrested by Spain's Police
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112913.html

Government of Catalonia Joins International Homosexual Organization Associated with Pedophilia
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07103009.html

Spanish Doctors Oppose Over-the Counter Sales of Morning-After Pill
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07052502.html

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