{"id":708,"date":"2012-08-03T10:07:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T10:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/congressional-leaders-support-chinese-pro-life-activist\/"},"modified":"2012-08-03T10:07:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-03T10:07:00","slug":"congressional-leaders-support-chinese-pro-life-activist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/08\/congressional-leaders-support-chinese-pro-life-activist\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressional leaders support Chinese pro-life activist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., Aug 3, 2012 \/ 04:07 am (CNA<\/a>).- Bipartisan leaders of Congress came together in the nation\u2019s capital on Aug. 1 to meet with and offer their support to Chinese pro-life activist Chen Guangcheng.<\/p>\n

\tHouse Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that Chen\u2019s example \u201creminds us why we cherish life and freedom so much, and why we work so hard to preserve and protect these fundamental values.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

\tChen was welcomed on Capitol Hill to meet with Congressional leaders including Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who had previously met with Chen in June in New York, where she praised his \u201ccourage\u201d in working \u201cto advocate for disadvantaged people in China.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tPelosi has referred to the plight of Chen\u2019s supporters and other human rights advocates in China as a matter of \u201curgent concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBoehner thanked Chen and his family for their sacrifices \u201cin the cause for human rights, religious freedom, and the rights of the unborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tWhile he acknowledged the importance of China\u2019s economic relationship with the U.S., the speaker stressed that \u201cthe United States has an obligation to engage with China\u201d in order to push for human rights reforms and other improvements.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe cannot remain silent when fundamental human rights are being violated,\u201d he said. \u201cWe cannot remain silent when religious liberty is under attack. And we cannot remain silent regarding China\u2019s reprehensible 'one-child\u2019 policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhen it comes to guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of all her citizens, the Chinese government has a responsibility to do better,\u201d Boehner said, \u201cand the United States government has a responsibility to hold them to account.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBlinded since youth, Chen gained international attention when he escaped from house arrest and was taken in by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on April 26.<\/p>\n

\tThe self-taught human rights lawyer had angered Chinese authorities by exposing brutal practices such as forced abortions and sterilizations that are routinely used to enforce the nation\u2019s strict one child policy.<\/p>\n

\tHe spent more than four years in prison and was then placed under house arrest, where he says that he and his family were beaten and refused medical attention.<\/p>\n

\tChen agreed to leave the U.S. Embassy after being promised by the Chinese government that he and his family would be treated humanely. He was transported to a Beijing hospital on May 2.<\/p>\n

\tHowever, he quickly raised concerns that China was not planning to keep its promises, telling American reporters that he wanted to come to the United States with his family to rest and recover safely.<\/p>\n

\tAfter receiving a fellowship offer to study law and learn English at New York University's law school, Chen and his immediate family were eventually permitted to travel to the United States, arriving on May 19.<\/p>\n

\tFollowing his meeting with House leaders, Chen attended an informal gathering of Congress members who had supported him during his time in prison.<\/p>\n

\tThe gathering was hosted by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who chairs the House subcommittee that oversees human rights issues.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cChen is a hero,\u201d Smith said.\u00a0 \u201cHe, his family members and his attorneys have all suffered torture because Chen defended women in Chinese counties who had been targeted, dragged into clinics and forced to abort their children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSmith noted that Chen \u201cwas first targeted by the Chinese in 2005\u201d and has undergone \u201carbitrary arrests and detainment, brutal beatings in prison and house arrest for defending women from forced abortions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe New Jersey congressman had worked for years to draw attention to Chen\u2019s plight, nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 and holding multiple Congressional hearings on his status.<\/p>\n

\tChen also spoke at the gathering, expressing gratitude and hope. He thanked those who had supported him in promoting human rights, \u201ceven if the results are not immediately visible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe human rights situation in China has been deteriorating recently,\u201d he said, and \u201cthe soft approaches taken some countries are delaying progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHowever, he observed, \u201cmore Chinese are waking up, and that trend is a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington D.C., Aug 3, 2012 \/ 04:07 am (CNA).- Bipartisan leaders of Congress came together in the nation’s capital on Aug. 1 to meet with and offer their support to Chinese pro-life activist Chen Guangcheng.<\/p>\n

\tHouse Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nCongressional leaders support Chinese pro-life activist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Washington D.C., Aug 3, 2012 \/ 04:07 am (CNA).- Bipartisan leaders of Congress came together in the nation’s capital on Aug. 1 to meet with and offer their support to Chinese pro-life activist Chen Guangcheng. 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