{"id":3800,"date":"2012-04-27T11:00:20","date_gmt":"2012-04-27T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/?p=3800"},"modified":"2012-08-10T00:55:02","modified_gmt":"2012-08-10T04:55:02","slug":"an-anti-abortion-movement-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2012\/04\/an-anti-abortion-movement-in-europe.html","title":{"rendered":"An Anti-Abortion Movement in Europe?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I guess I thought abortion rights were taken for granted in Europe, or more specifically, in Western Europe. However, I just ran upon an article in conservative evangelical World Magazine called \u201cEuropean War Zone: Belgium Is the Battleground for Life and Freedom, Again<\/a>.\u201d Here is an excerpt:<\/p>\n

When Roosemont isn\u2019t motoring through these [WWI] battlefields he is volunteering in another, going to war against the onslaught of laws in Belgium governing abortion and euthanasia\u2014and a culture of choice that aids and abets them. On a continent whose pro-life movement is just gaining ground, Roosemont has been described as a pro-life veteran.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

Belgium has for decades not only legalized abortion but in 2002 also legalized euthanasia.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the law was voted 10 years ago,\u201d says Roosemont, \u201ca black blanket has descended upon Belgium and is suffocating its people. The whole atmosphere has completely changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to Roosemont and others, another atmosphere is stirring. Pro-life groups are multiplying and annual Marches for Life now take place in Brussels, The Hague, Dublin, and other European cities. Belgium\u2019s third annual march\u2014held this year on March 25\u2014drew 3,500 youth, elderly, and families who took to the streets then laid 1,000 white roses on the steps of the Palais de Justice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So I did some digging and found this from last January:\u00a0Europe\u2019s Top Courts are on a Pro-Life Role<\/a>, in evangelical magazine Christianity Today:<\/p>\n

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) upheld Austria\u2019s ban on in-vitro fertilization in November. Weeks earlier, the European Court of Justice ruled against destroying human embryos for scientific research. In December 2010, the ECHR upheld Ireland\u2019s abortion ban.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a trend,\u201d said Roger Kiska of the Alliance Defense Fund in Slovakia. \u201cTwo or three years ago, you never would have thought that within a year you would have three pro-life [victories] in the courts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cases coming from the ECHR\u2014Europe\u2019s equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court\u2014show judicial restraint, deciding simply that abortion is not a right and leaving its legality up to each of the Council of Europe\u2019s 47 member states, Kiska said. But the Court of Justice\u2019s ruling went a step further, ruling that embryos are human beings.<\/p>\n

This stand was both strong and surprising, he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the first international court decision to say that life begins at conception.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And this from six months ago:\u00a0Eastern Europe Sees Growing Pro-Life Effort against Abortion<\/a>, \u00a0on LifeNews.com<\/p>\n

When asked what country should be watched for upcoming pro-life initiatives, [Joseph] Meaney [director of international coordination at Human Life International] replied that pro-lifers should look towards Russia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Russian presidency and the parliament are both interested in finding concrete solutions to limiting abortion,\u201d Meaney told Celtic Connections. \u201cThey\u2019ve already started with a number of measures this year, particularly making it illegal to describe abortion as a \u2018safe medical procedure,\u2019 and requiring those who advertise for abortion to talk about the health risks associated with it.\u00a0But I think they\u2019re going to move even more in the direction of outright banning of abortions for all kinds of different reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

[That] same weekend\u2026, the Russian parliament\u00a0voted to restrict abortions<\/a> in the country beyond the 12th week of pregnancy. The new measure also imposes a mandatory waiting period of between two and seven days before having an abortion.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And from last January:\u00a0Two Cheers for Pro-Life Europe<\/a>, on The Catholic Thing<\/p>\n

Most Americans, particularly political conservatives, would be shocked to learn that pagan Europe is often better than Christian America on the life issues. We typically think Europe is exponentially further out on the pelvic left. On some issues \u2013 like homosexual marriage \u2013 they are. But on the life issues, not so much.<\/p>\n

Two European countries, Malta and Ireland, outlaw abortion outright. In countries where abortion is legal, they have gestational limits on abortion that would give Leroy Carhart an aneurism. European gestational limits would put Carhart\u2019s partial-birth abortion practice into immediate receivership.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From last month:\u00a0Launch of Pro-life European Citizen\u2019s Initiative in Brussels<\/a>, on Vatican Radio<\/p>\n

A European Citizens\u2019 Initiative on \u2018protecting the right to life\u2019 was scheduled to be introduced Thursday afternoon in Brussels. A new procedure introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon, the European citizens\u2019 initiative allows one million EU citizens to participate directly in the development of EU policies. By law, the European Commission must respond to the proposal.<\/p>\n

The launch of the Initiative is the final event of a \u201cWeek for Life\u201d organized by Pro-life Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), in collaboration with the Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Community, or COMECE.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then there\u2019s also\u00a0a list of anti-abortion groups in Europe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So it isn\u2019t just the U.S. that has an anti-abortion movement. I mean I guess that should have been obvious, there are Catholics in Europe and we live in a global world, but still, I was surprised by how much I found with a little digging. And as someone who is pro-choice, this is one area I would have liked to have thought the U.S. was exceptional in. I guess not. Or am I missing something?<\/p>\n

I know a number of my readers live in Europe. Do you have anything to add on this?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I guess I thought abortion rights were taken for granted in Europe, or more specifically, in Western Europe. However, I just ran upon an article in conservative evangelical World Magazine called \u201cEuropean War Zone: Belgium Is the Battleground for Life and Freedom, Again.\u201d Here is an excerpt: When Roosemont isn\u2019t motoring through these [WWI] battlefields […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[104],"class_list":["post-3800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-abortion-2"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Anti-Abortion Movement in Europe?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I guess I thought abortion rights were taken for granted in Europe, or more specifically, in Western Europe. 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