Eat, pray, love.....Italians turn away from abortion...

 Eat, pray, love Italian style.....means God and family is still popular in Italy and moral relativism is not in fashion. This interesting article points out some trends and characteristics. It is not surprising that the more secular the country, the higher rate of abortion.

"It's not true that abortion statistics are irreversible. Italy proves it."

As the United Nations, encouraged by the US Administration, presses on with advancing abortion across the globe as a form of family planning – and even a human right – not all countries have embraced this practice. As reported in MercatorNet last year, one major country that is turning away from abortion is Italy. Abortion numbers and rates there have continued on a downward trend for over two decades.

Another positive phenomenon in Italy is the rising number of doctors who are declared conscientious objectors. The percentage of doctors who refuse to perform abortions rose from just under 70 percent in 2007 to 71.1 percent in 2008.  The highest share was accounted for by the Lazio Region, which includes the City of Rome, where the proportion rose from 80 percent to 85.6 percent over the same period.

So why do Italian women turn away from abortion, make less use of contraception compared with other Europeans -- but also have a fertility rate that is below the European Union average (1.4 versus 1.5)?
The Ministry of Health report does not present any analysis as this is outside its competence, but does make a passing reference to “socio-cultural issues.” From other sources, it can be observed that in Italy the concept of the traditional family remains strong (divorce rates are lower as are out of wedlock births compared with the rest of the European Union), religious practice is higher than in many other European countries and, unlike many northern European countries, secularism and relativism are not widespread in Italy. The Catholic Church is still influential in shaping morals. Finally, Italians do celebrate life in faith, music, art, and traditions – and a sense of caritas prevails.