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Catholic Attorneys Ask for Veto of Abortion Law in Argentina

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

BUENOS AIRES, December 10, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Association of Catholic Attorneys in Argentina has sent an extensive legal analysis to the governor of the province of La Pampa, urging him to veto provincial legislation that would legalize abortion in almost any circumstance (see recent LifeSiteNews coverage at: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/dec/07120501.html).

The Association argues that the legislation is "manifestly unconstitutional, because it tries to regulate and widen the norms contained in the Penal Code, and it goes against hierarchically constitutional principles."

Article four of the Constitution of Argentina states that "each person has the right to respect for his life from the moment of conception"

"This law erroneously interprets the exceptions contained in Article 86 of the Penal Code, which furthermore are manifestly unconstitutional in the face of texts that give unrestricted protection to unborn persons from the instant of their conception," the Association wrote.
 
The Association notes that the constitutional protection of the unborn has been upheld in a recent decision in which "the Supreme Court observed that 'the right to life is the first natural right of the human person, preexisting all positive law, and which is guaranteed by the National Constitution...a right present from the moment of conception, reaffirmed by the incorporation of international treaties with constitutional standing."

The Argentine Catholic Informational Agency (AICA) is also reporting that the Catholic Bishop of Santa Rosa, Rinaldo Fidel Bredice, is receiving support and accolades from pro-lifers in Argentina for his clear and firm stand against the legislation, including the Argentine branch of Human Life International (HLI) and the Catholic Medical Consortium.

"It's an injection of joy and hope for those of us who have been for many years on the front line of battle against the culture of death, which is increasingly dominant in our society, to observe a true pastor fighting that way to save his flock," said HLI.

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