The Federation “One of Us” firmly supports the statement of the Polish Government on the HRC’s draft of interpretation of art. 6 ICCPR defending that, “the inherent and inalienable right to life is an attribute of every human being and international human rights instruments properly recognize it as a primary right(1), being a precondition for the enjoyment of any other human right”.
From the point of view of science, human life begins at conception. It is then that every individual member of humanity is formed and begins to exist. This was also confirmed in the ruling by the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Oliver Brüstle v. Greenpeace e.V. (2011), that clearly stated: “fertilisation is such as to commence the process of development of a human being”. From this moment, legal protection derived from inherent human dignity, begins.
Therefore Article 6 ICCPR, must protect the life of every human being regardless her/his stage of development. This is the only way of protecting human life as an “inherent” and “inalienable” human right. We need to emphasize and unit our voice to the polish statement affirming that the right to life is an attribute of every human being, and as such deserves especially intensive protection as a pre-condition of any other human right.
European Federation “One of Us” adds its voice to the strong support of the international community of non-governmental organizations as social bases. This social support proves that Polish government actions and statements regarding the right to life protection of every human being are deeply rooted in our societies and represents the social endorsement to the right to life.
(!) Inter alia: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. Res. 217 (III) A. U.N. Doc A/RES/17 (III) (10 December 1948); the ICCPR; United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child, G.A. Res. 1386 (XIV)( 10 December 1959); Convention on the Rights of the Child, G.A. Res. 44/25 (20 November 1989) [hereinafter: “the CRC”]; Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, 9th International Conference of American States, Bogota, Colombia, 1948; Council of Europe, European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, as amended by Protocols No. 11 and 14 (4 November 1950) [hereinafter: “European Convention on Human Rights”]; Organization of American States, American Convention on Human Rights, “Pact of San Jose”, Costa Rica (22 November 1969); Organization of African Unity, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Banjul Charter) as amended by Protocol adopted in 1998 (27 June 1981); Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (5 August 1990).
