Vatican official calls for protection of unborn, seriously ill

Published: 2008-03-13

GENEVA (CNS) -- A Vatican official urged government delegates to help protect the lives of the unborn and those suffering from serious and deadly illnesses. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Vatican representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva, said "no compromise can be made with a person's right to life itself, from conception to natural death, nor with that person's ability to enjoy the dignity which flows from that right." He made the remarks March 11 during a session on the protection of human rights by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. His comments focused on the U.N. council's Jan. 31 report on the right of all people to "the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health." He said people "who require special protection" should never be overlooked or denied the right to life. "Particular cases in point are children in the womb and those suffering from grave and life-threatening illnesses," he added.

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