Young Indian Catholics run to fight abortion

(Aug.05,2010) Young Christians in India’s southern Karnataka State ran in a Church campaign to fight abortion. Some 5,000 people, mostly young Catholics, pounded the streets of central Bangalore. The “mini-marathon” on Aug. 1 was organized by the Santhome Youth Association (SYA), a Syro-Malabar group. The 9.9-kilometer run, signifying the nine months and nine days of the human gestation period, was also sponsored by the local Latin rite archdiocese and its institutions. Participants held up placards condemning abortion and urged the state and federal governments to take steps to put a stop to the practice.
“Abortion is a gross violation of human rights and against God’s will,” SYA executive director Father Cherian Thunduparambil told ucanews. He said about 42 million lives are lost each year to abortion. Female feticide, the aborting of female fetuses because of a preference for male babies, is widespread in India. According to SYA it has led to a national sex-ratio of 933 females to every 1,000 males. Fr.Cherian said that educational events against abortion and female infanticide were also held in different colleges in the run-up to the marathon, and an exhibition and a poster display against abortion were also staged as a part of the event.
After the marathon, Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore, addressed a gathering attended by sports people and civic and political leaders, during which he reiterated the Catholic Church’s strong opposition to abortion.