The European Parliament has backed the inclusion of abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, by 336 votes in favor and 163 against, with 39 abstentions. A largely symbolic vote, although revealing, since the motion, in order to be included in the EU Charter, required the backing of all 27 Member States of the EU bloc. Now, the European Parliament is transferring the resolution to the European Council and the Commission.
The initiative follows the French ParliamentIn early March, the country voted in favor of introducing the right to abortion as a "guaranteed freedom" in its Constitution, with 780 deputies and senators voting "yes" against 72 "no", with the explicit support of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, despite recognizing that his country urgently needs to increase its birth rate.
"Recognition of moral and democratic decay."
One of the first people to make harsh criticisms on social networks of this resolution of the European Parliament was the Archbishop of Valladolid and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Luis Argüello, who considered the decision as "the recognition of moral decadence".
"For the Eurocamara abortion is a human right against the human life born. It wants to defend the woman at the expense of the life she is giving birth to. It claims to ensure progressivism in the face of reactionaries, when it prevents the progress of life. It is the recognition of moral decadence," wrote Archbishop Argüello on the X network (formerly Twitter).
In the continuation of the message, the president of the Spanish bishops' conference assured that "this legislative excess expresses the ethical weakness of those who defend it. In addition, it goes against conscientious objection and the right of association of those who have a different position. "It is democratic decadence. LET'S FIGHT FOR LIFE, its dignity is infinite". (the capital letters are the archbishop's).
Argüello published two days ago that "the right to life is the fundamental pillar of all other rights, especially the right to life of the most vulnerable. How good it will be that those of us who have defended the dignity of migrants by promoting an ILP (popular legislative initiative), are now against defining abortion as a right".
French Bishops
The French bishops have also recently spoken out in defense of life. Following the decision of the French Parliament, the Pontifical Pontifical Academy for Life of the Holy See issued a statement in which it supported the position of the French Episcopal Conference (CEF) regarding the inclusion of abortion in the French Constitution. The Academy considers that "the protection of human life is the primary goal of humanity" and calls on all governments and religious traditions to commit themselves to the protection of life.
Very recently, the Vatican document Dignitas infinita reiterated the condemnation of abortion, recalling the words of St. John Paul II in "Evangelium Vitae", and pointing out that "we must affirm with all force and clarity, also in our time, that this defense of nascent life is intimately linked to the defense of every human right".
"It would poison all human rights."
On the other hand, Rafael Domingo Oslé, professor at the University of Navarra (Madrid campus), was one of the experts who reacted most quickly to the European parliamentary decision, and pointed out that the right to abortion would "poison" all human rights, as he stated on the X network and on the Cope radio station. In his opinion, abortion will not be included as a fundamental right because there are countries such as Malta, Poland, Hungary or Ireland that will say no to it.
In his opinion, we are facing "a French tantrum that wants to lead Europe and put itself on the same level as the United States. France must be told no to the right to abortion and yes to the gift of life, which has a legal dimension as a right," he said.
