Argentines don't have to obey a new national birth control law, says an Argentine archbishop. According to Estanislao Karlic, president of the Argentine bishops' conference, "Laws must be in accordance with the well-being of the human person, that is the key condition for a law to be respected."
Karlic issued the statement after a new sex and reproductive health law was approved by the House of Representatives in Argentina. It is waiting for approval by the Senate. The legislation would force public hospitals and the Social Security agency to provide non-permanent birth control to all women, including minors without their parents' consent.
The archbishop, regarded as a moderate in the episcopate, said that "any proposed law that affects the family as an institution will have a negative effect on society, even if it is intended to achieve what is believed to be a short-term good." He added that he was not calling for a revolt, but "for the natural disobedience paid to a law that is no such thing."