Since abortion was legalized in the United States in 1973 through the US Supreme Court's landmark Roe versus Wade decision, tens of millions of innocent unborn babies have been murdered in the wombs of their respective mothers.  Add tens of millions of more in Europe, especially Spain, and Asian countries like China, and you will get an idea of the magnitude of the slaughter of the most defenseless human beings on this planet, the unborn, the overwhelming majority of whom have been conceived from consensual sex.  It is very difficult to understand how some political leaders in these countries can justify this mass murder by stating that "every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health."  What about the right to life--the most fundamental human right--of the baby?  We are fortunate that we are the last country in the world to state in our Constitution that the State has the duty to protect the unborn from conception.  We should defend with our lives that provision in our fundamental law of the land.  Killing of the innocent should never become legal in our country.

          Citizens of countries like the United States who refuse to consent to this type of mass murder should never give up in trying to change the laws permitting abortion.  I was glad to read a news report of AFP that last January 22, thousand of marchers braved freezing temperatures in Washington to demand an end to abortion.  No other than Pope Francis supported this campaign through Tweeter.  The Pope tweeted:  "I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers...May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable."  Last year, Pope Francis denounced abortion--which is also legal in the country in which the Vatican exists--as a symptom of today's "throw-away culture."

          Pro-life people from all over the world should give their support fully to the present Government in Spain that is trying to restrict abortion to exceptional cases, instead of continuing what the Socialists in the former Administration legislated as "abortion on demand."  Under the leadership of Spain's Minister of Justice, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, the party in power--the Popular Party--is pushing legislation that would restrict the cases in which abortion can be procured.  Under the proposed law, women would no longer be free to choose an abortion in the early stages of their pregnancy.  They would be able to kill the baby in their womb only in case of rape or if there was a grave risk to their physical or mental health.   In addition, women would require the approval of two medical professionals before having an abortion.  Young women under the age of 18 would also have to get the permission of their parents.  It would not be allowable to kill babies who are malformed.  If this bill is passed, despite the objections of those promoting a culture of death, the move towards mass murder that has been going on for the past thirty or so years could be reversed.

          Those in favor of life should, together with Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, aim even higher.  The Minister has vowed to take his anti-abortion crusade to the European Parliament and as a New York Times editorial put it shatter "the myth of the moral superiority of the left."  There are other conservative parties in Europe that can support this initiative from the Popular Party in Spain.  In the May elections for the European Parliament, the abortion issue is expected to play a central role.  Catholics all over the Philippines who continue to pray in their respective parishes for their leaders to respect human life at all its stage--from conception to natural death--should include this intention of turning back abortion laws in the U.S. and Europe.  In our own home front, let us continue to resist legislation that promotes a contraceptive mentality, the surest stepping stone to an abortion culture.  As has been demonstrated empirically in the United States by social scientists, the more widespread use of artificial contraceptives inevitably lead to a rise in the number of abortions.   When contraceptives fail in preventing conception, the easiest next solution is to kill the baby. For comments, my email address is bernardo.villegas@uap.asia.