Study prophetic Catholic teaching on birth regulation, say international pro life leaders in Manila

Study prophetic Catholic teaching on birth regulation, say international pro-life leaders in Manila Manila, 8 January - International Right to Life Federation (IRLF) leaders meeting in Manila have issued a statement calling on "citizens throughout the world to study the prophetic message of Humanae Vitae", Catholic church teaching on the regulation of births published in 1968. Dr Jack Willke, IRLF president, said: "Worldwide, we are witnessing the sexualisation of our children - in particular, the sexual indoctrination of children with a view to subsequent provision of abortion and birth control drugs and devices to them without parental knowledge and consent, including in faith schools. We are also witnessing growing pressure from United Nations bodies on developing countries to legalise abortion." The IRLF statement says: "We call on citizens throughout the world to demand that innocent human life, from conception until natural death, be protected from intentional killing in their nations' laws; we call on citizens throughout the world to demand that only marriage between a man and a woman be recognized in their nations' laws; we call on citizens throughout the world to demand that the inalienable rights of parents as primary educators and protectors be respected in their nations' laws." The statement from the pro-life leaders concluded: "We consider that the depth of the crisis is so great we call on government leaders, politicians and citizens throughout the world to study the prophetic message* of Humanae Vitae, as its 40th anniversary approaches in July 2008, in the light of worldwide experience". International Right to Life is meeting at the Shangri-la Hotel in Manila and their board members are also speaking at the international conference on bioethics and the family, organized by the Catholic bishops' conference of the Philippines on 9 and 10 January. Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, is taking part in the conference. * "Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife." Humanae Vitae, 17