Religious leaders in Gibraltar compare abortion to the Holocaust

RELIGIOUS leaders in Gibraltar have been drawn into a divisive referendum on abortion after they grouped together to compare the act of terminating pregnancies to the Holocaust.

Gibraltar’s Christian, Jewish and

Muslim communities chose the British overseas territory’s Holocaust memorial as the site to launch their “vote no” manifesto ahead of the March 19 vote.

In comments to local broadcaster GBC, a spokesman for the religious group said that “abortion is a modernday Holocaust”. Gibraltar has some of the strictest abortion laws in the world.

The practice is currently limited to circumstances where the mother’s life is at risk.

The government of Fabian Picardo, the territory’s chief minister, has proposed changing the law to allow a woman to undergo an abortion up to 12 weeks into pregnancy if her mental or physical health is deemed at risk – or at a later stage if such damage would be grave and permanent. In cases of fatal physical defects in the foetus, there would be no time limit on termination.

Mr Picardo’s government condemned the use of the Nazi genocide to promote the “no” vote, saying the stunt and photo opportunity was “distasteful, disrespectful and unacceptable”.

Campaigners from the Gibraltar for Yes platform said the comparison was an outrage.

“It just shows they’re completely out of touch,” Isobel Ellul from the No

More Shame pro-abortion group told

The Sunday Telegraph.

“They keep on saying it’s not about religion, but they are all men and they have no right to dictate to women about what they do with their bodies.

“It’s about choice and religion is also a matter of choice.”