The bishop of the Canary Islands and president of the Episcopal Subcommittee for the Family and the Defense of Life of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), José Mazuelos, has criticized the euthanasia law, calling it "inhuman" and has said that whoever wants to kill themselves can "open the gas tap or throw themselves off the Giralda".
"Now they come with a law that says 'I do what I want with my life', but you have to come and kill me, the State has to come through the doctors. If you claim it from me from radical individualism, how do you claim the social dimension from me? That I have an obligation to kill him? No. Anyone who wants to kill themselves can kill themselves, it is a power that we all have: we open the gas and we fall asleep as sweet as can be, or you can throw yourself off the Giralda or onto the train tracks", the bishop of the Canary Islands stressed.
He said this at a press conference this Wednesday, within the framework of the Plenary Assembly that brings together Spanish bishops this week in Madrid and, during which, the prelates have analyzed a report on euthanasia and living wills, so that citizens can leave in writing that they do not want to be euthanized.
Criticism also for reforming the abortion law
On the other hand, Mazuelos has criticized the proposal of the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, to reform the abortion law so that minors aged 16 and 17 can have abortions without parental permission, and has wondered if the minister herself will go to take care of the minor if she has any complications such as "a uterine perforation."
"It is barbaric that a minor can have an abortion without consulting. And if there are any complications afterwards, is the minister going to go to the hospital to take care of her?", he said. "Is informed consent valid because Irene Montero says so?", he added.
On the other hand, when asked about the law on childhood and abuse, the bishop defended that "the Church has been fighting against child abuse for years", which is "a scourge" and that "anyone who is shown to have committed abuse should go to jail", although he also asked to "respect the presumption of innocence."
In this sense, he has expressed himself "against the Minister of Social Rights (Ione Belarra) messing with the Church" - she accused it of being "an accomplice to sexual violence against children" - and, however, does not protect, in his opinion, "children who can change sex without consulting their parents."