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Kerala: Catholic Church launches programme to help large families
by Nirmala Carvalho
Called ‘Jeevasamridhi’, the programme goes against the Kerala Women’s Code Bill 2011, a piece of legislation meant to curb the birth rate that is currently under consideration by the State legislature. If adopted, it would impose a 10,000- rupee fine and three-month jail sentence on anyone who has more than two children. For a spokesman of the Syro-Malabar Synod, only couples have the “sacred power [. . .] to decide how many children they want.”
Kochi (AsiaNews) – The Catholic Church in Kerala has launched a programme to promote and help large families (four children and more). Called Jeevasamridhi, the programme was launched by Mgr Mar George Alencherry, archbishop of Kochi. It is intended as a countermeasure to the Kerala Women’s Code Bill 2011, a draft proposal currently before for the State legislature that would impose birth control measures on people who want more than two children.
Among its measures, the proposed piece of legislation would impose a 10,000-rupee fine (US$ 200) and a three-month sentence in prison on anyone who does not respect the two-child limit.
It also calls for censoring any social, religious, academic or political organisation that tries to discourage the practice or takes a public stance against the bill.
“For the Church, this [the bill] goes against a couple’s freedom of conscience,” said Fr Paul Thelakat, spokesman for the Syro-Malabar Synod and the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.
Speaking to AsiaNews, the clergyman said, “Only couples have the right to decide how many children they want to have. We defend this not only for Christians but also for all Indian citizens. No authority can interfere with the sacred power couples have to decide how many children they want.”
“For the Catholic Church, parents who choose more children are more generous in the eyes of God and man,” the priest said. “They have heeded the voice of the future, which is the voice of morality.”