Pope Benedict XVI came under attack for maintaining a strong position against abortion, which is considered murder in all major monotheistic religions. He naturally called for the exclusion of pro-abortionists from the Church communion, as they are not valid members of a pro-life church.

"Legislative action in favor of abortion is incompatible with participation in the Eucharist," a statement said, and pro-choice politicians should "exclude themselves from communion." The statement was issued by the Pope's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, after earlier comments in the same direction while aboard the plane to Brazil.

Benedict says that certain values, including protecting human life from conception to natural death, were "not negotiable" and that Catholic politicians have a "grave responsibility" to promote such protection by law.

In Brazil, caught in the middle is the minister of health, Jose Gomes Temporao, who was recently blasted by the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops, which represents Brazil's 429 Roman Catholic bishops, after apparently proposing the legalisation of abortions. Temporao's job is to be "the minister of health and not of death," Monsignor Angelico Sandalo Bernardino said.

"It is written in the (canon) law that murdering a child is incompatible with communion, and the bishops have done nothing arbitrary," the Pope is reported to have said about the bishops in Mexico who threatened to excommunicate lawmakers who passed the controversial Mexico City abortion law.

"They have only put the spotlight on what is allowed by Church law."

Monotheistic religions generally believe a human being is a person from the moment the egg is fertilized, and that there cannot be a staged evolution from something which is not human to a human person. They believe this is just a convenient political distinction and all termination of human life is murder. As such, after she carries a human inside her womb, a mother cannot do as she pleases and abort the baby. It's not her choice because she does not own the newly formed life, who is new person and should be protected by the international Human Rights agreements.