A few years ago, in 2010, the entire world was watching Chile, a country which, in spite of all pessimistic projections, managed to rescue the 33 miners who spent 69 days trapped under the earth. That achievement was a symbol of all that this country, small and distant, can be to the world.
The feat of the 33 miners is not the only important achievement in the history of Chile. From all parts of the planet there are many of us who view with great admiration the fact that, in spite of uncounted pressure against her, Chile has not given in to the darkness of abortion, and is raised up as an example for the world. In addition, the country occupies a place of leadership in the Western Hemisphere for its very low rates of maternal mortality, and for its program “Chile Grows With You” which nourishes and supports children from conception to 5 years of age. In summary, Chile offers a safe place to live, for both mother and child.
But a light, as brilliant as it may be, always can be extinguished. Those of us from many countries of the world who admire the example of Chile are observing with a sense of worry that the international pressures are increasing, and that President Bachelet and a substantial group of mis-guided legislators intend to bring Chile into the “modern world” through the legalization of abortion. Their rhetoric is the usual: promotion of abortion “only” for three “exceptional” reasons, but the international comparative evidence without exception shows that it is just one step toward a much wider justification for the deaths of thousands of innocent children.
It is important that Chile not surrender, that her light not go out. Today it is not a question of saving 33 people 700 meters below the earth, but of a multitude of little Chilean girls and boys, allowing them to be welcomed in their mothers’ wombs, and helping their mothers overcome the difficulties that they face in their pregnancies, without choosing the inhumane solution of death.
Richard Stith
Professor, Valparaiso University Law School
Indiana, USA
Christine de Marcellus Vollmer
President, Alianza Latinoamericana para la Familia
Venezuela
John Smeaton
Chief Executive, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
United Kingdom