Former president Aznar and the paradox of the “moral regeneration” he proposes

One of the great problems of our time is the desire to empty words of meaning, dissociating them from the realm of facts.

Feijóo reaffirms his intention to unprotect the lives of the unborn, just like Sánchez
The PP claims to defend 'Christian humanism' and 'human life' after supporting abortion

Today, the newspaper El Debate published an interview with José María Aznar, who was Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004, representing the Popular Party (PP). In the interview, Aznar argues for the need for Spain to undergo "moral regeneration," adding: "All democratic societies need this moral regeneration." The former Prime Minister asserts that today's world "either recovers a serious humanistic sense and a profound sense of human dignity, or today's world, today's societies, not only run the risk of making mistakes, but of disappearing."

Aznar then points out that Pope Saint John Paul II asked him to defend Christianity in the draft European Constitution, formulated in 2004 and ultimately unsuccessful in 2005 due to the results of referendums held in France and the Netherlands. Aznar states that he made this defense of Christianity in the European Council. The former president concludes by stating that "in today's world, only the recovery of serious humanistic values ​​can help humanity face the challenges ahead, especially the challenge of generative artificial intelligence."

It is curious to note that in the question that prompted that response, Luis Ventoso, deputy director of El Debate, mentioned two specific issues, abortion and euthanasia, which are the most nefarious aspect of the socialists' ideological agenda, the one that serves to promote the "culture of death," as Saint John Paul II aptly defined it. Significantly, Aznar avoided mentioning these two issues in his response, a detail I don't believe was accidental or an oversight. As I explained here nine years ago, Aznar avoided modifying the abortion law established by the PSOE in 1985, legislation under which Spain went from 51,002 abortions in 1996 to 84,985 in 2004.

In addition, the Aznar government approved the marketing of the abortion pill RU-486 at the beginning of 2000, a measure that further facilitated the termination of pregnancies. Furthermore, Aznar pardoned four doctors convicted of performing illegal abortions, commuting their prison sentences to mere disqualifications and fines.

On the other hand, it should be remembered that in February 2023, Alberto Núñez Feijóo confirmed the PP's pro-abortion shift, boasting that his party did not repeal the socialist law that classified this atrocity as a "right". In case there was any doubt, two months ago Feijóo confirmed that he will not repeal that law, referring to the pro-life stance against abortion as a "successful cause" rather than dismissing it as a "moral issue." Aznar raised no objections to Feijóo's statements, squandering the considerable influence he still wields within the party. On October 7, the PP and the PSOE joined forces to reject a proposal by Vox to repeal the abortion and euthanasia laws. Aznar made no criticism of his party's position.

Así pues, la paradoja de la "regeneración moral" que Aznar propone es que no contempla pedir a su partido que sea consecuente con el "humanismo cristiano" que dice defender y que el PP reafirmó en junio en su 21º Congreso. Una vez más, el PP finge defender unos valores que no practica y Aznar, pudiendo decir algo al respecto, opta por callar. ¿Qué clase de "regeneración moral" es ésa que consiste en no hacer nada contra dos graves atentados contra la vida y la dignidad humana?

Thus, the paradox of the "moral regeneration" that Aznar proposes is that he does not consider asking his party to be consistent with the "Christian humanism" it claims to defend, which the PP reaffirmed in June at its 21st Congress. Once again, the PP pretends to defend values ​​it does not practice, and Aznar, who could have said something about it, chooses to remain silent. What kind of "moral regeneration" is this that consists of doing nothing about two serious attacks against life and human dignity?

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Image: El Debate.