Catholic Influence On Abortion

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significant role as well – in both upholding the legal policies and in maintaining order in traditional beliefs. The role of the Catholic Church in El Salvador, as a beacon of peace and stability to turn to in times of crisis, has been and continues to be instrumental in disallowing women access to their reproductive rights. In an era where religion is rapidly declining as an agent of socialization and many religious institutions are collapsing in the face of different value systems, the Catholic Church in El Salvador is a definite outlier to this trend. In 2000, when the population of the country was 5.8 million, just under 5 million people identified as Catholic, and the number of priests and parishes has continued to increase continuously…show more content…
In a 1995 Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II highlights the different evils that contraception and abortion represent. Abortion is officially seen as an extreme offence, as “the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence,” according to the Church. Contraception, which some Catholics even praise as a deterrent from abortion, is merely “opposed to the virtue of chastity in marriage.” (Catholic Church, 1995). The official views of the Vatican are widely accepted by Catholic groups around the world, but in some cases, local and regional parishes and groups take an even more fundamentalist approach – even in unique and outstanding…show more content…
The role of the Church in nearly all areas of socialization and education mean that in many cases, their truth is accepted as universal. For example, a lack of coherent education about contraception has led to many misconceptions and stigmas that surround its use, that are spread and further perpetuated by the Church itself in many cases (Kent, 2010). In the case of Zika, where the actions and stances of the Catholic Church in El Salvador show how strict and traditionalist they are, the area of intention is exposed as at play in governing this inequity. Conscious choices, ones that benefit the Church by furthering its power and moral control over society, are being made on both legal and social levels. These actions are not being challenged, as those facing their consequences are amongst the most vulnerable and deeply entrenched in the Church’s words and rule – so inequity and injustice are

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