Kochi, August 20, 2019: Prime minister Narendra Modi’s statement during his Independence Day speech that “family planning is a form of patriotism” seems to have irked Kerala’s Catholic Church.
Pro-Life Committee under the Kerala Catholic Bishop’s Council (KCBC) has issued a statement expressing their opposition to the prime minister’s statement.
“Not only do they (small households) contribute to the welfare of their family, but also to the good of the nation. People who have played this huge role need to be honored, and by setting them as examples, we need to inspire the segment of society still not thinking on these lines. We need to worry about population explosion,” the prime minister had said in his Independence Day speech from Red Fort on August 15.
KCBC Family Commission’s statement signed by its secretary Father Paul Madassery said that the committee observed that the prime minister’s statement was made with ulterior motives ahead of a case on abortion law coming up for consideration of the Supreme Court by the end of this month.
“Modi, who used the word ‘Population Explosion’, had also said there was a need for developing new projects to counter this challenge. Since, a case on abortion law is set to come up for hearing at the SC by August-end, the prolife committee which met at Palarivattom POC, observed that the Prime Minister’s remarks were made with ulterior motives,” the statement stated.
Father Madassery called upon the public to protest legalizing abortion without any restrictions. “Creation of life is an act of God. Destruction of life is an act against God,” the priest said.
The committee plans to lead protest rallies and awareness campaigns on the issue.
Source: The Times of India