MEPs, lawyers and philosophers participate this Wednesday in the act Abortion is not a fundamental right of the EU. “Something serious and violent would be whitewashed” if it is included in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, denounce the organizers.
Politicians and intellectuals from more than a dozen European countries are participating this Wednesday in a conference organized by the San Pablo CEU University Foundation, together with One of Us and more than 50 civil organizations in Brussels, against the introduction of abortion in the European Charter of Fundamental rights.
“In Europe there are several initiatives that seek to consider abortion as a right,” says Ana del Pino, European General Coordinator of One of Us, “and they received a boost from President Emmanuel Macron shortly after the French presidency of the European Union was inaugurated.” in January of last year.
That of the French president “was a declaration against human life in Europe, and that is why many organizations have mobilized to say that abortion cannot be a recognized right in Europe,” adds Del Pino. If abortion were incorporated into the Charter of Fundamental Rights, “the Charter would fall into an internal contradiction with its first article, which defends the right to life” of Europeans. In addition, “abortion is not the responsibility of the EU, and in fact there are some countries that do not contemplate it in their laws,” concludes Ana del Pino.
In this sense, Álvaro Silva, deputy director of the CEU San Pablo Institute of European Studies, elaborates that “technically” this inclusion of abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights “would not have a great impact”, because “after all, it would only the Charter can be invoked to revoke an act of the European institutions, or an act of national legislation in application of a European standard”.
However, “you have to look further to understand the seriousness of this matter,” says Silva, because “it would be a great damage in terms of public awareness.” Thus, if the European Union adopts it as a right, “the feeling would be created that abortion is something good, that it should be protected by all national legislation, and even enforceable. In this way, something that is actually serious and violent would be whitewashed.
Landing in our country, in Spain “it would be an endorsement” for those who want to make legislative advances in this field. “Without a doubt, it would promote and encourage political forces that consider abortion as a right,” says Silva.
