In Mexico, there are several organizations with the sole purpose of blocking abortion legislation. One of the oldest and most prominent organizations is Provida, otherwise known as Comité Nacional Provida, which is a religious based organization that was founded in 1978 in the capital of Mexico. This organization has been very active for many years through numerous methods, including legal action, education, protests and youth organization (1). However, due to the Mexican Constitution, no organization can be directly run or organizationally supported by Catholic clergy. For this reason, Provida has developed “very strong and direct [contacts] with senior Mexican bishops and the Vatican” (2). From this reality, there is no doubt that this organization is directly tied to the Catholic church. However, it is interesting to note that on the Provida website, there is no mention of the organization drawing its teachings from the Catholic church, instead they state that abortion is a “moral issue” and for this reason must be stopped (3). Andrzej Kulczycki, who is a professor and has written numerous pieces on the climate surrounding abortion throughout the world, states that Provida “is by far the most energetic of anti-abortion groups” within Mexico (4). This description shows that Provida truly is at the forefront of the abortion debate.
Another similar pro-life group, Human Life International (Vida Humana Internacional) formed in Mexico, however this group is directly affiliated with the Catholic Church. Human Life International was founded by Father Paul Marx's, OSB in 1981 and has chapters throughout Latin America (5). Human Life international claims to organize “en defensa de la vida, la fe y la familia” (translated: in defense of life, faith, and family) (6). Through this mission, Human Life International is directly affiliated with the Catholic Church and promotes its anti-abortion teachings. Yet, the Catholic Church according to some scholars, should not be viewed as a “pressure group pushing an anti-abortion agenda: it offers the state a crucial source of social and political support and thus contributes to maintaining social stability” (7). This idea, along with the reality that the church and state are legally separate in Mexico, adds to the concept that these organizations are a part of Mexican society, and that the viewpoints they propose are representative of a part of Mexican society.
However, not all Catholics within Mexico take the stance of pro-life in the abortion debate. One such organization that is representative of this faction is the Catholics for the Right to Decide (Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir). This organization was founded in 1994 as a way to empower women to have the ability to decide based on their own conscience, while also educating the community on pro-choice as a political stance (8). Catholics for the Right to Decide demonstrates the liberalization of the Catholic church, but also the divide that continues to seem present within the church between conservative and liberal Catholics. This divide, along with the polarization surrounding the proposal and legalization of the 2007 decriminalization of abortion legislation, increased.
(1) "Comité Nacional Provida México" [Mexico National Prolife Committee]. Last modified 2004. Accessed March 25, 2016. http://www.comiteprovida.org/.
(2) Kulczycki, Andrzej. The Abortion Debate in the World Arena. New York City, NY: Routledge, 1999. 98.
(3)"Comité Nacional Provida México" [Mexico National Prolife Committee]. Last modified 2004. Accessed March 25, 2016. http://www.comiteprovida.org/.
(4)Kulczycki, Andrzej. The Abortion Debate in the World Arena. New York City, NY: Routledge, 1999. 96.
(5)"Vida Humana Internacional" [Human Life International]. Last modified 2011. Accessed March 25, 2016. http://vidahumana.org/conozcanos/vida-humana-internacional.
(6) "Vida Humana Internacional" [Human Life International]. Last modified 2011. Accessed March 25, 2016. http://vidahumana.org/conozcanos/vida-humana-internacional.
(7) Ortiz-Ortega, Adriana. "Law and the Politics of Abortion." In Decoding Gender: Law and Practice in Contemporary Mexico, by Ann Varley, Victoria Chenaut, and Helga Baitenmann, 197-212. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2007. 200-201.
(8) "International Partners." Catholics for Choice. Last modified 2005. Accessed March 25, 2016. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/about/international/internationalpartners.asp#Mexico.
0 comments:
Post a Comment