PLD divided on abortion

[NewsWhore]

There appears to be a rift within the PLD ranks when it comes to the sensitive issue of abortion. During constitutional reform discussions yesterday, 22 PLD legislators led by Victor Terrero defended the right to "therapeutic" abortion, defined as permissible in exceptional cases like a pregnancy resulting from rape, incest, a non-viable fetus or when the mother's life is at serious risk. This development was met with shock and opposition with many members of the Revisory Assembly. Also, surprising was the announcement by PRD representative Jorge Frias who, after announcing his adherence to Catholicism, argued for a secular government, limiting the role of the clergy to "saving souls." Frias, taking direct shots at Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez added that the Cardinal should not call legislators "butchers" just because they have a particular stance on abortion. Frias went on to say that state funds used to fund the building churches should be used to help the poor, adding "I am a social democrat, thinking like Mao Tse Tung." Listin Diario reports that a commission from the Catholic Church was not allowed to observe the proceedings because it was not accredited. Abortion, always a hot-button issue, has led to long discussions during the Revisory Assembly meetings, and after a marathon session yesterday lasting till 12:20am, Assembly president Reinaldo Pared Perez adjourned debates on the topic until 21 April at 3pm. According to Article 8 of the Revisory Assembly rules, after eight hours of work all debates must be suspended and reconvened on a later date.

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