Moral consequences and the value of life must be considered

Contact: Andrew Walther, Knights of Columbus, 203 752 4253

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Mar. 19 /Christian Newswire/ – A bill being debated in Mexico City – which would legalize abortion in that municipality – is misguided and dangerous said Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson.

"In a country that has made great progress in the democratic inclusion of all its citizens, a law such as this will remove legal protection from the most vulnerable members of society," Anderson said.

If Mexico City's assembly succeeds in legalizing abortion in that municipality, it will be the first such law in Mexico.

Anderson said that we should recall the words of Pope John Paul II who wrote: "[D]emocracy, [when] contradicting its own principles, effectively moves towards a form of totalitarianism. The State is no longer the 'common home' where all can live together on the basis of principles of fundamental equality, but is transformed into a tyrant State, which arrogates to itself the right to dispose of the life of the weakest and most defenseless members, from the unborn child to the elderly, in the name of a public interest which is really nothing but the interest of one part."

Luis Guevara, who serves as a liaison between the Knights of Columbus in the United States and those in Mexico noted: "The protection of the right to life is the most important right that a government can safeguard, and legalizing abortion in Mexico City sends the message that life is cheap and expendable. Such a law goes against the conscience of the vast majority of Mexicans who value and respect the dignity and value of each life."

The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest lay Catholic organization with more than 1.7 million members worldwide. The Knights were founded in New Haven, Conn. 125 years ago. The Order established its first council in Mexico in 1905.