2014-05-07 17:17:29

As Mumbai hits record number of abortions, bishop urges respect for life's sanctity


May 07,2014: As Bombay, in western India’s Maharashtra State, hit a record number of abortions, the city’s Aux bishop Savio Fernandes urged respect for life. The number of abortions in Mumbai rose by 10 per cent last year, the highest increase in the past seven years. Figures from the city's Health Department, based on data from public and private hospitals, show that the number of abortions performed in 2013 was 30,117. Auxiliary bishop Savio Fernandes told AsiaNews that "there may be many reasons behind this increase, like bias against girls; the perception that the body belongs to us; promiscuity and affairs; poverty; an increasingly widespread culture of death and God relegated to the edges of existence." Nevertheless, faced with this situation, Mumbai’s Aux. bishop provided some tips for things to change. "Bring God at the centre of our lives!" he said. "All religious leaders should work for this, starting with their lifestyle, from their homilies to talking with members of other faiths, in order to create harmony. "For the prelate, "Every school, and even the government, should hold mandatory courses on the value of education and the sanctity of human life." The prelate also explained that the government and NGOs should find effective ways to promote development for the poor."
According Pascoal Carvalho, a Mumbai doctor who is also a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, "the high rate of abortions is often associated with sexual selection, due to a cultural preference for boys." In Maharashtra, which prides itself as a progressive state, the sex ratio fell steeply from 913 in 2001 to 883 in 2011. The dwindling sex ratio indicates that at least 5 to 7 per cent abortions are sex selective" with girls paying a deadly price, added Carvallo.
Source: AsiaNews







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