As they said they would, European extreme-right groups are going on the offensive. Using the mechanism of the European Citizens’ Initiative, requiring the collection of one million signatures, they have launched a campaign called “One of Us” which aims to persuade the European Parliament and the Commission to stop all funding of embryo research and abortion.
Meanwhile, the pope has made statements on the “culture of waste” practised by supporters of abortion and the right of doctors to conscientious objection, as well as defending “unborn life” in the name of “human rights”. His position is therefore in line with that of his predecessors and the ultra-conservative tradition of the Church, and lends considerable support to pro-life movements.
There is an urgent need to mobilise parliamentarians, NGOs, the public and European citizens to avoid what would be a very serious step backwards for women’s health, fertility control and the freedom of individuals to make decisions about their own lives.
We stand up for human rights and women’s rights against the obscurantism and the insidious and flagrant witch hunts forming in Europe.