November 16 will be vivid in the hearts and minds of Peruvian pro-lifers for a long time. Rarely has there been so much to celebrate in a single day - three victories in the Peruvian Congress: a pro-life bill moving forward, a pro-abortion bill blocked, and a powerful event featuring the institution of the family as a reality in the social and cultural life of Peruvians.
All of us at the Population Research Institute office here in Lima, Peru, are proud to have been on the front lines in each of these efforts.
Pro-life Congresswoman Milagros Jauregui introduced proposed legislation that "recognizes the rights of the unborn child," affirming that the unborn child has all the rights of any other person.
Article 2 of the Peruvian Constitution establishes that "every person has the right to life and... the unborn child is a subject of law in everything that favors him/her". But the Civil Code, in its article 1, makes a distinction between the conceived and the human person, stating that "the human person is a subject of law from birth".
In the past, this difference between the Constitution and the Civil Code has served to threaten the life of unborn children. Those who promote abortion repeatedly allege that the unborn are not persons, and therefore insist that the "right to decide" of women, who by law are persons, must prevail.
In the session of the Justice and Human Rights Commission on November 16, this bill was put to debate and vote. With a total of 21 congressmen from 9 different parties, it was not easy to secure a majority.
"When the term 'human person' is used, it is specifically alluding to human life, which begins at conception; and all human life deserves protection and protection of rights by the State," explained Jauregui as the debate commenced.
Pro-abortion Congresswoman Ruth Luque stated that the rights of the unborn could not be equated with those of women, adding that this would jeopardize a woman's right to therapeutic abortion. Other pro-life members of Congress quickly pointed out that there is no such right to abortion in Peruvian law. Rather, it exists only in the fallacious discourse of radical feminist groups.
The final vote left no doubt. The bill received eleven votes in favor, seven abstentions, and only one vote against. Who voted against recognizing the rights of the conceived? Yes, you guessed it. The only vote against was that of Congresswoman Luque.
Only a few minutes later, the same Committee debated and voted on a bill presented by Congresswoman Luque which sought to decriminalize abortion in cases of rape. However, it also sought to compell the state to guarantee "comprehensive sexual education in educational institutions, with special emphasis on gender violence".
Pro-life Congressman Alejandro Munante took the lead in rejecting this abortion bill. "We must warn that these decriminalization initiatives (camouflaged as legalization), apart from giving impunity to the rapist (since it allows abortion without the need to report the rapist), makes a human life dependent on the arbitrary decision of another human being, which constitutes an abuse of law," he responded.
If the previous vote had already been resoundingly pro-life, the one that followed was devastating not only for Congresswoman Luque, but for all pro-abortion groups in Peru. It received one vote in favor, twelve against, and four abstentions.
Who voted in favor of killing a child who was not at fault for having been conceived in rape? It is not hard to guess. Congresswoman Luque was once again left alone in a historic humiliation for the cause of death she champions.
After these two victories, we moved forward with renewed energy to the third opportunity to strengthen the Culture of Life over the proposals from of the representatives of the Cuture of Death. That same afternoon, in another room of the Peruvian Congress, Congressman Jose Cueto Aservi led in the presentation of the National Family Survey - Peru 2022.
Cueto highlighted the role of the State in the promotion of the institution of the tradtional family, pointing out that "it is particularly indicative that 97% of the population considers that the family is the fundamental unit of society, and that 98% think that the family is important or very important for Peruvian society. These statistical values," he continued, "only make evident what common sense dictates: the family is essential for society because it is the nucleus of growth and fundamental formation in society."
The event was attended by a panel of specialists who presented the results of the study, which can be downloaded here .
These three victories give us encouragement to continue the cultural battle. The forces that seek to weaken the very foundations of society, human life and the traditional family, are strong. But they can and must be defeated.
At the Population Research Institute, we will always fight these battles to win. The future of humanity is at stake.