| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________El
Salvador_______________
Contraceptives stressed in relief effort
Earthquake aid includes abortifacients
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) responded to devastating earthquakes in El Salvador by sending reproductive health kits including abortifacient “morning-after” pills and vacuum aspirators used for early-term abortions, according to Julia Cardenal, president of
Si a La Vida (Yes to Life).
Cardenal complained that the UNFPA measures violated the country’s constitution, which states that life begins at conception and warrants government protection. But she also pointed out that the contraceptives and abortion supplies came in lieu of more necessary aid supplies. “We had two major earthquakes in El Salvador in January and February of this year, and instead of sending us food or medicine, or something to meet our needs, they sent a range of contraception devices,” she said in a phone interview with the Washington-based Cybercast News Service.
While the UNFPA does not deny sending the kits, officials claim the aspirator is to be used for delivery and miscarriage complications. UN officials also argue that the “morning-after” pill does not cause abortion, since it destroys the fetus before it is implanted in the mother’s womb. Salvadoran government officials have adopted the same view, concluding that the UN aid does not violate the principles of the country’s constitution.
Back to Catholic World Report October 2001 Table of Contents