Last 24 August 1999, Mexico's Secretariat of Health issued the Actualización de la Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-005-SSA-1993, de los Servicios de Planificación Familiar (Update of the Official Mexican Norm NOM-005-SSA-1993, for Family Planning Services), which is "of obligatory observance in all health units for family planning services in the public, social and private sectors". It seems that the purpose of this norm is to impose abortion and other evils in Mexico, a strategy that will likely have ripple effects in the rest of Latin America.

The Norm proposes to change the definition of pregnancy so that its beginning is no longer at conception, but at implantation. This re-definition could be used to bypass present abortion laws in Mexico and in the majority of Latin American countries, which prohibit abortion. Methods of abortion such as "emergency contraception" would no longer be considered abortifacient. "Emergency contraception" consists in taking high dosis of contraceptive pills some time after a sexual act. Due to the fact that these pills can prevent the implantation of an already fertilized egg (a new human being), this mechanism of action is an abortion, given that abortion, by definition, is the termination of a pregnancy that results in the death of the unborn human being. But, according to the new definition, this action would not constitute abortion, because supposedly pregnancy has not started yet and thus it is not being "interrupted"!

This change of definition constitutes a dangerous word game against human life and one that is not at all in accordance with the scientific facts discovered by the most recent medical advances , which define the beginning of pregnancy, and thus of the life of a new human being, at conception (= fertilization or fecundation) and not at implantation --the latter event taking place normally 6 or 7 days after conception.

The National Pro-Life Comm. of Mexico initiated a lawsuit against MEXFAM for its promotion of "emergency contraception", MEXFAM is an organization of "family planning" that is the Mexican affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the largest promoter of abortion in the world. The publication of the Norm by the Secretariat of Health of Mexico promoting "emergency contraception" seems to come at a timely moment to support MEXFAM

The Norm also opens the door to surgical abortion because it claims that since "there is no contraceptive that is 100% effective, the user assumes the risk of failure of any method". Now, the experience of those countries in which surgical abortion is legal, as in the United States, has proven that those women who use contraceptives are more inclined to have surgical abortions when their contraceptives fail than those who do not use contraceptives. Therefore, this allegation of the Norm opens the door to a mentality which favors the legalization and practice of abortion, a trend we have all witnessed in recent decades in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

The Norm also lends itself to the promotion of a sex "education" that is pro-contraceptive, contrary to the moral values of parents and institutions such as the Catholic Church and indifferent or even hostile to their authority. Indeed, it affirms that contraceptive counseling "should give particular attention to...adolescents"; that "it is important that the private and confidential character of family planning [= contraceptives] counseling be preserved" and that "the myths, taboos and beliefs about contraceptives should be taken into consideration".

The document also gives a false sense of security where it concerns the use of condoms to prevent HIV\AIDS infection. It says that "only condoms protect from infection of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV\AIDS." This allegation flies in the face of scientific evidence and common sense. It is also in complete contradiction with its previously quoted affirmation that "there is no contraceptive that is 100% effective".

Lastly, the Norm also lends itself to the promotion of sterilization --an immoral practice that already takes place at government hospitals, even without the victims' consent. The document says that contraceptive counseling should pay particular attention to those "users who ask for permanent birth control methods".

Abortion masked as "emergency contraception" and the other evils mentioned are international strategies. The organizations that promote them and that support this Norm are also international. Among them are the United Nations, the World Health Organization and MEXFAM, which is the Mexican affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the largest promoter of abortion in the world. These facts lead us to the alarming conclusion that if this Norm is approved by the Mexican Government, it will possibly affect the rest of Latin America.

Please pray for Latin America, it is under attack by anti-life organizations!