Almost 20 European countries support a Citizens’ Initiative that eliminates eugenics from Polish law. Statement on the forthcoming initiative in Poland #StopAbortion was issued by the Executive Committee of the European Federation for the Life and Human Dignity ONE OF US.
European Federation for Life and Human Dignity ONE OF US is aware of the Citizens Initiative #StopAbortion, which aims to change the Polish Law towards fuller protection of human life by eliminating the possibility of killing children with the probability of genetic defects or diseases. The Federation firmly supports the initiative and calls on the Polish Parliament to improve protection of the unborn. “ Permission to kill children who have been diagnosed with any disability or dysfunction attempts against European values and consists in a gross violation of human dignity and rights.” – we read in the statement of the ONE OF US Federation Executive Committee.
“Ban of eugenic abortion in Poland would be a great victory for life defense and human being protection in Europe. This may set a standard for a new civilization respectful with its citizen’s life and door open for other countries to follow it” – says Jaime Mayor Oreja, President of the ONE OF US Federation. – We rejoiced that initiative „Stop Abortion” is – like ONE OF US – a Citizen’s Initiative. The Parliament of Poland would confirm a great and broad support from the polish society for this change and it will encourage the Parliament to follow on its will” – added the former EPP Member of the European Parliament, Head of the Spanish delegation in the European Parliament and a Former Minister of Internal Affairs of Spain.
Carlo Casini, the Honorary President of the Federation and a former Justice of the Supreme Court in Italy, points out that abortion in the event of miscarriage of the conceived child is the worst of all injustice. “Because its cultural assumption is to discriminate between healthy human beings and sick people and this discrimination contrasts with the concept of human dignity always equal for everyone – that constitutes the foundation of human rights” – stresses Casini.
Thierry de la Villejegu, Vice-President of the Federation and Executive Director of the French Jérôme Lejeune Foundation commented on the initiative. As he says “France knows very well that abortion of people with disabilities sadly leads to drastic eugenics. This is against the respect and the solidarity due to any person, especially to the weakest”. Thierry de la Villejegu reminds in this context the words of prof. Jérôme Lejeune: “The quality of a civilization can be measured by the respect it has for its weakest members.” Abortion, which discriminates people with disabilities, should be banned. At the same time, therapeutic research programs should be launched to cure the illnesses and disabilities. Last but not least, solidarity systems should be developed to help families” – emphasizes Executive Director of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation.
Jakub Bałtroszewicz, Secretary General of the Federation and President of the Polish Foundation JEDEN Z NAS (ONE OF US) – one of the two Poles that together with Marek Jurek – sit on its Executive Committee thank “all of the members for such a strong, unconditional and broad support” for the Citizens’ Initiative in Poland. “With international support of ONE OF US Federation – 39 organizations from almost 20 European countries, we feel deeply obliged to build a broad support for the initiative among polish society and in effect to encourage our parliament to change the law to protect the weakest who are ONE OF US” – emphasizes Bałtroszewicz.
According to the President of the Foundation JEDEN Z NAS, the initiative led by Kaja Godek, President of the Life and Family Foundation and Magdalena Korzekwa-Kaliszuk, the leader of CitizenGO in Poland, is a call for Polish politicians to adopt the law to protect the lives of the smallest and weakest Poles. “ We ask the legislator to remove from the Polish law the condition that allows abortion on the grounds of disability” – appeals Bałtroszewicz.
The Citizens’ Initiative #StopAbortion will start collecting signatures of support in the first days of September and will continue for the next three months. To put it under Parliament consideration, 100,000 signatures are needed. The organizers hope that, due to the fact that many volunteer applications to help collecting signatures were received, as well as Polish and European voices of support and the strong and unambiguous support of the Polish Catholic Bishops Conference for the initiative, it will be possible to collect at least half a million signatures.
During the 376th plenary meeting, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Poland took a look at the civic initiative #StopAbortion. “The Bishops uphold the call for full legal protection of children conceived as constitutional right to life”, the statement said in a press release of the plenary meeting of Polish bishops in Zakopane, where the initiative was called for prayer and Bishops expressed support for collecting signatures also in parishes around Poland.
The ONE OF US Federation is the largest pro-life organization in Europe. It brings together 39 organizations from almost 20 European Union countries. Created on the basis of the European Citizens’ Initiative of the same name, which has collected 2 million signatures under a project prohibiting the financing from a public money abortion and experiences on human embryos. Its Polish members include the ONE OF US Foundation and the Polish Association of Human Life Defenders. It’s Polish branch has a Spanish Foundation: CitizenGO which is a Member of the ONE OF US Federation and her Polish Director – Magdalena Korzekwa-Kaliszuk – is one of the leaders of the initiative.
