CAMPECHE, Mexico (LifeSiteNews) — A Mexican bishop declared, following the local decriminalization of abortion, that those who facilitate and promote the murderous practice – including doctors, women, and politicians – cannot receive the sacraments of the Catholic Church.
During a February 26 press conference, Bishop José Francisco González of the Diocese of Campeche explained that the Code of Canon Law determines that abortion supporters “are, as a matter of practice, outside of communion with the Church.”
“That is, those who promote it, those who carry it out, and those who collaborate cannot participate in the sacraments,” clarified Bishop González.
He warned that Catholics who promoted abortion’s decriminalization “should not participate in the sacraments” and encouraged them to “reconsider and to rediscover their Catholic faith.”
On February 25, Campeche became the 21st Mexican state to decriminalize abortion up to 12 weeks’ gestation, meaning that, while anti-abortion laws remain in effect, those who break these laws cannot be punished.
The measure, pushed by the state’s “Human Rights Commission,” declares that “The criminalization of voluntary abortion constitutes a form of gender-based violence specifically directed at women and people with the ability to bear children [i.e., gender-confused women].” The claim carries heavy irony considering that abortion violently kills preborn babies, including girls.
The Penal Code of Campeche has also been changed to more severely penalize those who force a woman to have an abortion.
Bishop González referred to the pro-abortion decision as “incomprehensible,” in part because the vote was held “behind closed doors.” By law, the legislators cannot reveal how they voted for this measure.
“Among all the crimes that man can commit against life, procured abortion presents characteristics that make it particularly serious and ignominious,” declared the bishop. Unborn children should therefore be protected “by the whole society” and not just the mother or father, according to the prelate.
He warned that if unborn children are permitted to be killed because they are unwanted, “later on, society – and we are not far away – will propose doing something similar with children already born who do not behave well, or who are sickly, or who are facing a disability.”
“Finally, no life will be respected. For whatever reason it can be cut short,” he added.
“Are there really concrete actions and policies to support pregnant women who want to become mothers? … Is there support for mothers who suffer from the effects of alcoholism in one of their children or husbands? … Is there help for women to get training and make their way in the challenging situations of modern life?” Bishop González asked.
He shared that the Church would work to help counteract the state’s decriminalization of abortion, as part of its commitment to protecting life from conception.