STRASBOURG, France, JUNE 24, 2002 (Zenit.org).- A report approved by a European Parliament commission seeks to impose legalized abortion on all current and future member countries of the European Union.
The text on “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights” was ratified June 4 by the Committee on Women´s Rights and Equal Opportunities by a vote of 21-11, after some brief amendments. There were four abstentions.
In its resolution proposal No. 11, the report presented by Anne E.M. Van Lancker, member of the Parliamentary Group of the European Socialist Party, recommends that, “in order to safeguard women´s reproductive health and rights, abortion should be made legal, safe and accessible to all.”
In several numbers, for example 8 and 12, the report of the Belgian Euro-deputy contends that this proposal for the legalization of abortion should apply to all countries of the European Union, as well as to candidates for membership.
No. 20 of the reports calls “upon the governments of the Member States and the Accession Countries to provide support for pregnant adolescents (whether they wish to terminate their pregnancy or to carry it to full term).”
No. 27 urges the European Council and Commission “to provide more technical and financial support to the Accession Countries in order to develop and implement health promotion programs and quality standards in sexual and reproductive health services, and to ensure that existing EU aid to Eastern Europe and Central Asia include these types of programs.” In general, these programs include abortion.
No. 28 calls “upon the Commission to take into account the devastating impact of the Mexico City Policy of the Bush Administration, which denies funding to non-governmental organizations which occasionally refer women to abortion clinics as a last resort, especially with regard to programs for Central and Eastern Europe; calls upon the Commission to fill in the budgetary gap provoked by the Mexico City Policy.”
No. 4 calls for programs of population control and sexual and reproductive health services to be proposed in a special way “for underserved groups, such as young people, ethnic minorities and the socially excluded.”
