Vatican stops support of Amnesty International

[[R-MOD]dunehunter]

The Vatican has entreated Catholics to stop donating money to Amnesty International because the human rights group supports access to abortion for female rape victims.

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said the call to Catholics was an “inevitable consequence” of a recent decision by Amnesty’s executive to support access to abortion for women who have been victims of rape, or whose health was in danger because of their pregnancy.

In a statement the council said there should be “no more Catholic financing of Amnesty International after the organisation’s pro-abortion about turn.”

Cardinal Martino said the Church's teaching on abortion was clear, “Abortion is murder and to justify it selectively, in the event of rape, that is to define an innocent child in the belly of its mother as an enemy, as something one can destroy,” he said.

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Amnesty International campaigns for internationally recognised human rights to be upheld and has worked in the past to protect those who have been coerced into having an abortion. Kate Gilmore, executive deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International accused the Vatican of employing "intimidation" tactics against the group.

Miss Gilmore told Times Online that Amnesty had moved from a position of silence on the right to abortion to a position of support for women whose lives are at risk because of pregnancy. "We wish to remove the threat and fear of criminal sanctions for women who have been raped and are seeking to exercise moral choices," Miss Gilmore said. "Within certain gestational limits women who have become pregnant as a result of violence should be able to access abortion without fear...it's not a claim that there is a human right to abortion, the Vatican have misrepresented us in that regard," she added.

Amnesty Italy said in a statement in April that it had decided to involve itself in issues relating to abortion “to the extent that they are directly linked to its actions for the right to health and against violence against women."

The move by the home of the Catholic Church follows Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s questioning of whether politicians who support abortion should be barred from receiving Holy Communion. The Cardinal, who is head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, last month likened the Scottish abortion rate to “two Dunblane Massacres every day”.

The Vatican withdrew funding from the Unicef in 1996 after the international children’s charity distributed post-intercourse spermicide to young women in refugee camps who had been raped.

W...T...F?

This is one of the most ignorant and just plain evil things I've read in a while. These women didn't choose to get pregnant, and they're in a lot of trouble already. Why, then, force them to have the child when they're not going to be able to take care of this? These guys really need to get out of their ivory tower.

[sekiryu]

What exactly is the point of the Vatican anwyay? It's antiquated religious politics.

I thought Amnesty Internationaly was a mercenary group 0.o

[eddie]

You thought Amnesty International was a PMC? Right....

Amnesty International generally investigate every military operation they can.

"You shot the terrorists?! They were only pointing guns at hostages! That's human rights abuse!"

[Lothrian]

I love religious politics - cant kill the unborn, but assassination, religious wars and black mail are all perfectly acceptable.

[El_Vikingo]

Its still abortion. Please don't flame.

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

I hate to harp on this, but most of the world does not regard abortion as a "right" or a "choice".
If human life is sacred as it is to most faiths then an unborn baby is entitled to the same rights as the mother.
Granted, in many countries that ain't much but abortion is an issue that puts the liberal west at odds with many cultures.
I don't think the Vatican is that important anymore but they are more influential that Amnesty International.



Off Topic but related: The Roman Catholic Church deems it a sin to use birth control even if you are married. I was wondering if the same is true for Muslim, Jewish or Hindu women ?
The ruling by the Vatican that contraception within marriage is a sin is symptomatic of their disconnect from reality but opposing abortion is a more clear cut issue.

[[R-MOD]dunehunter]

Forgot to add the link to the original article:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle1928775.ece

Also, it looks like they already withdrew funding for Unicef for trying to help women who got raped.

[[T]BludShoT]

Originally Posted by dunehunter

W...T...F?

This is one of the most ignorant and just plain evil things I've read in a while. These women didn't choose to get pregnant, and they're in a lot of trouble already. Why, then, force them to have the child when they're not going to be able to take care of this? These guys really need to get out of their ivory tower.

Because the child is an innocent human being. Why should it be murdered?

Amnesty International does a lot of good stuff (as far as I know), so the Vatican telling it's followers to not give any money to them anymore is not good - because what about all the good Amnesty does?

[[R-MOD]Saobh]

Originally Posted by ArmedDrunk&Angry

I hate to harp on this, but most of the world does not regard abortion as a "right" or a "choice".

Yup and in most of the world women are still considered second class citizens (at the best)

Our western civilization advanced by bounds once it recognized that women are as important as the rest. A bit more even as the procreation process/ability (and all the hard ships they face with it) gives them a point of view on life that goes beyond any male could ever understand ( apart from Schwarzenegger )

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

I'm not saying that in case of a woman's health abortion should not be an option but that is a tiny percentage of abortions.
But even if you think we should allow it, as I do, then due process must be part of taking a human life.