Mexico City, Nov. 4, (dpa/GNA) – Guatemala’s Interior Minister Oliverio Garcia Rodas has resigned amid controversy over his decision to allow a pro-abortion organization to work in the country, President Alejandro Giammattei said on Tuesday.
Giammattei said his government had repealed the authorization granted to the US-based Planned Parenthood.
“The truth is I was surprised that a NGO with such a background was authorized,” Giammattei said in an interview published by the government on social media.
He said the history of Planned Parenthood included “stories of terror” and that Garcia Rodas resigned “because of the mistake he made.”
Giammattei, a doctor opposed to abortion, said he spoke with Catholic and evangelical leaders to inform them that the authorization granted by Garcia Rodas did not reflect the government’s position.
“I recognize life since its conception and I therefore in my government shall not tolerate any movement that violates what has been established in our Political Constitution of the Republic, that goes against the values I was brought up with and that clashes with my principles as a doctor,” Giammattei tweeted.
The Central American country allows abortion only in cases where the pregnancy puts the woman’s life in danger. In cases of rape, congenital malformations or danger to the woman’s psychological health, abortions are not allowed.
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund works to advance access to sexual health care and defend reproductive rights, according to its website.
“Planned Parenthood was founded on this simple idea: Your body is your own. If it is not, we cannot be truly free or equal,” the website says.
GNA