Peru’s Pedro Castillo is categorical: no to abortion, no to same-sex marriage and no to marijuana consumption

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Far-left Peruvian presidential candidate Pedro Castillo is accustomed to citing biblical passages when he appeals to morality to justify his rejection of abortion, same-sex marriage, marijuana consumption, and euthanasia.

In a televised interview during his campaign before the first round of elections on April 11, the rural school teacher who emerged from anonymity 4 years ago as the leader of a national strike was straightforward about his positions on issues that could soon be debated in the Peruvian Congress.

“I would never legalize abortion,” Castillo said in a report on the RPP network. “We will forward it to the National Constituent Assembly to be debated, but I personally do not agree,” advised the Peru Libre party candidate.

“Euthanasia? Let it also be forwarded, but I’m afraid I have to disagree. Equal marriage for people of the same sex? Even worse. First the family. These two institutions, family and school, should go hand in hand,” Castillo stressed in his interview with journalist Jaime Chincha.

And he added: “Legalizing marijuana? Of course not. On the contrary. What we must do is with all constitutional rights and organizations… to see how we can contribute to Peru so that the country’s wealth is for all Peruvians.”

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“I come from a family that has instilled values in me and raised me with my fingernails cut, and I am going to pass that on to my people. First come to the people, first come the family, and first comes the country which I was born to defend,” Castillo said in conclusion to justify his position.

Whoever wins Sunday’s polarized presidential runoff between Pedro Castillo and Keiko Fujimori, Peru, will continue to maintain a conservative profile with the refusal to legislate on abortion, same-sex marriage, and gender identity.

The only point of agreement between the two candidates -ideologically at the antipodes- is the defense of the “traditional family,” even resorting to biblical references. Fujimori is Catholic, as is Castillo, whose wife is evangelical.

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And, although the daughter of imprisoned ex-president Alberto Fujimori advocates a free market and the rural school teacher advocates an active economic role for the state, the two have more similarities than differences on issues that are part of the 21st-century agenda in many countries.

Both are anti-abortion, uphold the notion of the traditional family – consisting of a man and a woman – and do not attach much importance to the rights of the LGBTI community. Both also oppose the legalization of marijuana and euthanasia. In addition, they challenge the gender approach in sex education in schools, an issue on which the Catholic and Evangelical Churches have a common cause in Peru.

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