Pope Benedict Criticizes Italian Abortion Law, Prime Minister Berlusconi Responds

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 15 May 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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Pope Benedict XVI on Monday in a meeting with antiabortion advocates in Italy criticized the country's 1978 law that legalized abortion, Reuters/San Diego Union Tribune reports. The law bans most abortions after the first 90 days of pregnancy. The law allows procedures until 24 weeks' gestation if the pregnant woman's life is at risk or if the fetus is abnormal.

"Allowing the termination of pregnancies not only did not resolve the problems afflicting many women and more than a few families, but has also opened more wounds in our societies," Benedict said, adding, "Looking at the past three decades and considering the current situation, one cannot deny that defending human life has today become practically more difficult because of a mentality that has progressively degraded its value" (Aloisi, Reuters/San Diego Union Tribune, 5/12).

New Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday in his inaugural speech before Parliament made comments that suggested that he would not change Italy's current abortion policy, AFP/Turkish Daily News reports. Berlusconi also said he would encourage Italian families to have children and promised "new and important expenditures for demographic development." He did not discuss details of the plan (AFP/Turkish Daily News, 5/13).

Conservative politicians close to Berlusconi, who was sworn in last week, are "divided" on whether to change the abortion law, Reuters/San Diego Union Tribune reports. Isabella Bertolini of the People of Freedom coalition applauded Benedict's remarks and pledged to call for a United Nations moratorium on abortion similar to the moratorium that recently was called on the death penalty. However, Mara Carfagna, Berlusconi's equal opportunities minister, said the underlying issue is not the abortion law but the country's lack of family-friendly policies and incentives that would help women decide against the procedure.

Some members of the center-left opposition party -- which largely supports the law -- disagreed with Benedict's remarks. Livia Turco, a former health minister in the center-left party, said the legislation has helped to significantly decrease the number of abortions in Italy. Marco Panella -- leader of the Radical party, which supports abortion rights -- said the pope's words "offended Italy's democratic state."

There were about 127,000 abortions in Italy in 2007, compared with 235,000 in 1982, according to ministry data. Italy's birth rate of 1.3 children per woman is one of the lowest in the world (Reuters/San Diego Union Tribune, 5/12).

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