House to block legalization of abortion

House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial put his foot down yesterday to any proposal that will change the constitutional provision banning abortion in the Northern Marianas amid renewed debate on the issue.

He said the only legislation acceptable to the House leadership is one that will provide penalties against violation of that mandate, but added they have yet to consider enacting such measure.

Under the CNMI Constitution, abortion is prohibited on the islands. The Legislature, however, can lift that ban. At present, there is no local statutory law that penalizes the practice here.

“We do not need to provide by law because we believe that we are anti-abortion,” Mr. Fitial told reporters when asked about the issue.

Bishop Tomas A. Camacho has expressed dismay over reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently approved an abortion pill which he described as an “assault on the sanctity of life and on individual unborn children.”

He objected to the sale and distribution of RU-486 or the mifepristone, noting the legalize abortion drug curtails the growth of innocent lives.

Abortion has become a thorny issue in this predominantly Roman Catholic island community, with some quarters demanding the government to comply with Roe vs Wade ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court that allows abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Religious leaders from various denominations have launched a campaign against abortion in a bid to counter renewed debate on the controversial issue.

The debate began when a legal opinion issued by the Attorney General’s Office in 1985 resurfaced which said a woman may legally obtain an abortion in the Northern Marianas based on the U.S. ruling.

Amid reports that abortion is conducted at the Commonwealth Health Center for medical reasons, the Catholic Church immediately reminded government leaders that the CNMI Constitution prohibits the practice.

According to Mr. Fitial, the House leadership will not consider crafting legislation to legalize abortion, although other lawmakers may introduce a proposal.

“The only legislation I can think of that will reaffirm that stand [in the Constitution] is legislation that will provide penalties,” he pointed out.

Two separate bills were introduced in two previous legislatures, but they failed to get the votes due to strong pressure from anti-abortion crusaders, particularly the church.

In the most recent legislation filed in 1998, the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare nixed the proposal to sanction abortion on demand as it violates the constitutional ban as well as local traditions and moral standards.