Bishop condemns abortion

Bishop Tomas A. Camacho yesterday condemned attempt by some quarters to legalize abortion in the Northern Marianas as circumstances surrounding the controversial issue have slowly come to light following a closed-door meeting by the House of Representatives.

He expressed sadness over reports that abortions are being performed on the island and that some individuals have come out to suggest that such practices are legal here.

In a pastoral letter issued in time for the Mother’s Day celebration on Sunday, the Bishop of Chalan Kanoa reiterated the Catholic’s strong opposition against abortion which he said is a grave offense tantamount to excommunication from the church.

Under the CNMI Constitution, abortion is prohibited here, but any law passed by the Legislature can lift that ban. At present, there is no local statutory law that penalizes violation of the constitutional provision.

At the closed-door meeting on Tuesday, House members discussed the abortion issue, but they remain mum until now on what transpired at the 30-minute discussion.

But sources who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that the move had been prompted by a report that the Commonwealth Health Center has performed abortion as early as last week when a local pregnant woman allegedly asked for DNC procedure to scrape her uterus.

Such medical procedure is only being performed to a woman who has had a miscarriage.

Public Health Sec. Joseph Kevin Villagomez has denied knowledge of the incident, but said the hospital allows DNC only in certain circumstances when the patient’s health is at risk.

He also stressed the question on the legality of abortion in the CNMI is a matter that the court needs to resolve, noting that while the island is pre-dominantly Catholic, there are some faiths existing in the community that do not condemn the practice.

Nurses at CHC have reportedly informed some government officials that abortion is being done there, thus raising concerns in the community, according to another source.

Because of this development, a group in the community is now ready to challenge the constitutional ban, said one top-level government official. The island government may also be thrown into a potential lawsuit arising from this report.

Church’s opposition

Abortion has become a thorny issue in the CNMI in the wake of allegations leveled by the federal government that it allows forced abortions here., particularly among nonresident workers. This is one of the reasons cited by Washington in justifying federal takeover of local labor and immigration functions.

Although the Commonwealth has denied these accusations, the Legislature have in the past introduced measures seeking to legalize abortion on demand, such as those on pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or where the life of the mother is at risk. None has ever passed either house.

Bishop Camacho, however, said he opposed any legislation that will change the anti-abortion stance of the CNMI’s Constitution, noting that he is not naive on possible legal consequences of the constitutional provision.

“If one day that [position] or other anti-abortion legislation is challenged in courts, it may well be judged ineffectual because of the well-known interpretations of the United States Constitution,” he said in the pastoral letter.

“To that I say, then let it be so judged. The people of our islands have written, ratified and proclaimed what we believe about life,” added the church leader.

Quoting his statement to the Legislature when the abortion issue was first brought up in 1996, he said: “Let the experts in jurisprudence choose what is legally right. Let us choose what is morally right.”

Bishop Camacho then called on Catholics to fight off any attempt to legalize abortion as he encouraged those who have been involved in such practices to renew their faith in God.

“As long as there is the offense abortion in our midst, the Church will speak and fulfill its solemn duty to teach the faith that comes to us from the apostles,” he said.