The Vatican responded this week to questions over whether abortion should be expanded as a way to deal with the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that can cause neurological problems in unborn babies.
Its answer? Sorry, no.
“Not only is increased access to abortion and abortifacients an illegitimate response to this crisis, but since it terminates the life of a child it is fundamentally not preventative,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza. “Regardless of the connection to the Zika virus, it is a fact of human existence that some children develop conditions like microcephaly, and that these children deserve to be protected and cared for throughout their lives, in accordance with our obligation to safeguard all human life, healthy and disabled, with equal commitment, leaving no one behind.”
The comments come after some United Nations officials called for increased abortion as a response to the virus, which has affected thousands of babies after an outbreak in Brazil and has even spread to the U.S.
“We are deeply concerned by the recent call by some government officials, as well as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, for the liberalization of abortion laws and access to abortifacients as a means to prevent the birth of children with birth defects,” Auza said in a statement provided by Vatican Radio.
It’s not just the U.N. making the argument, though. One Brazilian professor argued the country should legalize abortion to deal with the virus.
“The Zika epidemic has given Brazil a unique opportunity to look at inequality and reproductive rights, and to change how the country treats women,” Debora Diniz, a professor at the University of Brazil, wrote in a New York Times op-ed.
But the Vatican has stood firm, saying the possible neurological problems “should not warrant a death sentence.”
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