Turkish premier: 'I see abortion as murder'
May 29, 2012
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has provoked a firestorm of criticism by saying: “I see abortion as murder.”
“What’s the difference between killing a baby inside a mother’s womb and killing a baby after birth?” Erdogan asked rhetorically during a talk to women’s groups. He said that support for abortion should be seen as “a sneaky plan to wipe the country off the world stage.”
Abortion is legal in Turkey through the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The abortion issue has not been a major factor in political debates, so Erdogan’s comments came as a surprise, and drew angry criticisms from opposition groups.
Erdogan has encouraged the people of Turkey to maintain the country’s high birth rate, arguing that population growth helps to strengthen the country both economically and socially. He has called for a “3-child policy” that would urged families to have at least 3 children.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: John J Plick -
Jun. 02, 2012 1:33 AM ET USA
An unfair shot, "Salome..." There is no example of the Muslims using "that law" to justify abortion. And there is no case that I know of of a "pro-abort" Muslim politician.
-
Posted by: -
May. 30, 2012 3:26 AM ET USA
“What’s the difference between killing a baby inside a mother’s womb and killing a baby after birth?” Under Sharia, it depends on who's doing the killing. Under Sharia, t's o.k. for parents to kill their own children.
-
Posted by: normnuke -
May. 29, 2012 11:59 PM ET USA
This position of the premier won't get him much praise from the bien pense legions but it sure does from me. You can tell him that.
-
Posted by: garedawg -
May. 29, 2012 7:19 PM ET USA
Good for him! Some people think that President Obama is actually a Muslim. I wish that he were and I hope that he converts soon, because then he will very likely be more pro-life.
-
Posted by: John Holecek -
May. 29, 2012 6:33 PM ET USA
Amen, brother Recep!
-
Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
May. 29, 2012 6:27 PM ET USA
I like this guy. Too bad he isn't a popular American politician; these kinds of statements don't play well here. What's the difference between a contract killer and an abortionist? There's a good chance that the contract killer's victim isn't totally innocent.
