Korean bishops’ pro-life campaign

(April 18, 2011) South Korea’s Catholic Bishops have issued a statement aimed at correcting the mistaken views about abortion in society, and instituted the first Sunday for Life. Bishop Gabriel Chang Bong-hun, president of the Bioethics Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK) issued the statement, titled “Abortion is Murder”, urging Catholics to take the lead in “building the culture of life.” During its March plenary meeting, CBCK decided to anticipate the ‘Day for Life’ on the last Sunday of May to the first Sunday of May renaming it ‘Sunday of Life’. The Korean bishops said that abortion is the most serious crime among crimes which harm human life and which automatically incurs excommunication or exclusion from the communion of the Church. Bishop Chang noted that over 1,000 abortions are performed per day in South Korea, and deplored the attitude of some Koreans who insist that abortion is an issue of women’s human rights. He blamed this mindset on the lack of sex education and medical ethics, distortion of sex, sexual inequality and the government’s neglect of its duty to protect life. Korea’s Catholic Church has decided to distribute education materials on life issues and is sponsoring the rosary prayer campaign for life during the month of May.