Catholics who abort babies face stiff sanctions

Manila:  The leader of the Catholic church in Manila warned its brethren about the evil of abortion and expressed alarm over three foetuses that were left in churches this week.

"If the expositions of discarded human foetuses are not done with evil intent, then the practice alone of rampant abortion is symptomatic of a grave moral decadence and irresponsible behaviour that now seriously threaten the country," said Manila archbishop Gaudencio Rosales in a statement posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines website.

"Abortion is a grave sin against a defenceless life; and for this the severe canonical penalty to perpetrator is excommunication," the archbishop added.

"The placing and exhibiting of aborted human foetuses in public places are not favoured in other cultures, and decent people refuse to do the same.

"The ugly part of life is again gaining the limelight in our country," said Rosales whose pastoral letter against abortion will be read in all churches in Manila on Sunday.

Prayer services

The archbishop also scheduled special prayer services in all Manila churches, for the forgiveness of the mothers who engaged in abortion.

On Tuesday, a foetus wrapped in a plastic bag was found inside the Manila Cathedral. Another foetus placed in a shoe box was found at the Church of the Black Nazarene in Manila's Quiapo district.

On Wednesday, a seven-month-old foetus, was found in a sack in the city Malabon.

On Sunday, a newborn baby boy was found alive in a rubbish bin inside an aircraft lavatory.

Authorities were able to locate and has taken custody of the newborn's mother who was a passenger of the Gulf Air flight from Bahrain. Reports said that the woman, who worked as a domestic helper, was forced to return home after she got pregnant.

The woman, who was married, allegedly carried out an illicit relationship while working in Qatar..

Rosales also reminded young Catholics to abstain from sex, adding they should be "less selfish, and more disciplined and capable of self control, exercising a strong will, and capable of making sacrifices."

"These are virtues that are much needed in a country of disciplined people," he added.

The Catholic Church spearheaded a drive against the use of artificial contraceptives, following a clamour from lawmakers who want to pass a bill for population control.

Critics of the Catholic Church said that women are forced to resort to abortion because of lack of sex education and the absence of contraceptives.

Rosales warned that the Catholic Church will excommunicate all those involved in "deliberately procured abortion".

There are more than 85 million Catholics in the Philippines.