May 25, 2019

Pope Francis stresses opposition to abortion: It's like “hiring a hitman”

Photo: Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

Pope Francis is standing his ground when it comes to abortion, saying on Saturday the procedure should not ever be condoned, reports the AP.

“Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem? Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?”
— Pope Francis

What he's saying: Against the backdrop of a reignited debate in the U.S. — with state initiatives working to limit or ban the procedure — the Pope said the dispute over "abortion isn’t a religious issue but a human one," and urges doctors and families to avoid them, regardless of prenatal testing results, even if the baby is likely to die shortly after birth, per AP. “Taking care of these children helps parents to grieve and not only think of it as a loss, but as a step on a path taken together,” Francis said.

Go deeper: Where abortion restriction stands: The states that have passed laws

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 9 p.m. ET: 12,220,166 — Total deaths: 553,438 — Total recoveries — 6,696,632 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 9 p.m. ET: 3,111,902 — Total deaths: 133,195 — Total recoveries: 969,111 — Total tested: 38,032,966 — Map.
  3. Public health: More young people are spreading the virus — Cases rise in 33 states — Florida reports highest single-day death toll since pandemic began.
  4. Science: World Health Organization acknowledges airborne transmission of coronavirus.
  5. 1 🐂 thing: How the world could monitor for potential pandemic animal viruses.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
7 hours ago - Podcasts

Inside Joe Biden's economic plan

Joe Biden on Thursday returned to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to give his first major speech on economic policy since becoming the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Axios Re:Cap digs into Biden's plans, how they developed and how they may change, with former U.S. Commerce secretary and campaign surrogate Penny Pritzker.

Dave Lawler
7 hours ago - World

Countries grapple with whether to lock back down as hotspots emerge

Tokyo in the time of coronavirus. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty

Many politicians and public health officials sounded a similar lockdown refrain in the spring: let’s do this right so we only have to do it once.

Reality check: While some countries have thus far managed to keep cases under control after opening up, dozens of countries that had initially turned a corner are now seeing a worrying rebound. They have to decide if and how to return to lockdown — and whether their populations will stand for it.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow