An abortionist in Italy has decided to postpone his retirement as he struggles to find a doctor willing to take his place committing abortions in the region of Molise.
“I have been doing this job for 40 years,” Dr. Michele Mariano, 69, told La Repubblica. “My hope is that someone will show up to continue my job.”
According to the Telegraph, Molise is an area of about 300,000 people on the east coast. Mariano is the only pro-abortion doctor in the area, working at Antonio Cardarelli hospital.
He said he is simply “applying the law” when he aborts babies. In a previous interview, he admitted to carrying out 400 abortions each year but said he is not happy to do so.
“I’m a doctor and I know science,” he said. “Let us not be afraid of the truth. The fetus could become a child, how can we deny it? I don’t want backstreet abortion to return and women to die at the hands of who knows what butcher, but that doesn’t mean that I’m happy when I suppress a life.” By his own count, he has likely ended the lives of approximately 16,000 preborn children.
In reality, a human zygote, embryo, and fetus are already human offspring from the moment of fertilization — and abortion does not merely “suppress” a life, but ends it.
He added, “Do you know what my greatest satisfaction is? When a woman chooses to keep the baby, when she gives birth to him. I always try to understand whether there is a way to avoid abortion. If she changes her mind, for me it’s a joy.”
Abortion has been legal in Italy for more than four decades, with elective abortion permissible up to three months of pregnancy and abortions allowed beyond three months if the baby receives a prenatal diagnosis or if the woman’s physical or mental health is considered at risk.
More than 70% of doctors in Italy refuse to commit abortions, citing conscientious objections on religious or moral grounds. In some areas of Italy, 90% of doctors refuse to participate in abortions. It is because of this that Molise authorities are having a difficult time finding a gynecologist willing to replace Mariano. They were able to find one to assist Mariano part-time, and he considers that a “small victory,” but not enough to allow him to retire.
Abortion supporters in Italy blame the Catholic Church and its strong influence on Italians for the lack of doctors willing to kill preborn human beings. Others say there are so many doctors refusing to commit abortions because declaring themselves “conscientious objectors” will allow them a better chance of promotions within the hospitals. Either way, the medical profession in Italy clearly frowns upon abortion and those who commit it. Another abortionist, Dr. Massimo Segato of Valdagno Hospital in Vicenza echoed Mariano’s reluctance to commit abortions.
“I know very well that I’m suppressing a life. Not a fetus, but a future baby,” he said. “Every time I feel an unspeakable regret and discomfort.”
And though abortion advocates want conscience protections to end, the law as it currently stands cannot force doctors to participate in abortion. Abortion is unlike any other medical procedure, as is made clear even by Italian abortionists, because it directly and intentionally kills an innocent human being. It cannot be reasonably classified as health care.
Abortions in Italy have been on a steady annual decline from a peak of 234,000 in 1982 to about 76,000 in 2018. If no replacement is found for Mariano, the Telegraph said women could go to a private clinic or travel to undergo an abortion at another public hospital.
Editor’s note. This appeared at Live Action News and is reposted with permission.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
