Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Spain’s pro-life bill hailed as growing European trend

Spain’s pro-life bill hailed as growing European trend

Last updated on: February 18, 2014 at 12:09 am by CNA Daily News

Spain’s pro-life bill hailed as growing European trend 2014-02-18T00:09:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Madrid, Spain, Feb 17, 2014 / 05:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A new bill in Spain to re-establish limits on abortion and assert the state's right to protect unborn children is a step forward in the larger pro-life movement growing across the continent, a European legal expert says.

“One of the goals of the Spanish bill was to create debate” said Grégor Puppinck, director of the European Centre for Law and Justice.

“The debate about abortion is all across Europe,” he told CNA on Feb. 13, adding that the Spanish bill is a “way to provoke thought” and continue the debate about abortion across the continent.

The Spanish bill seeks to address what many have seen as an overreach by a 2010 law passed by the Socialists. The 2010 law allowed for abortion up to 22 weeks of pregnancy if there was a “serious risk to the life or health of the mother or the fetus.” However, critics have argued that the law was unregulated, in practice creating a situation where abortion-on-demand was allowed for any reason during this time.

The proposed bill would tighten these regulations. It would continue to allow for abortion at different stages throughout pregnancy, but only for certain reasons, including rape, terminal deformity and the physical or mental well-being of the mother, confirmed by medical professionals. The bill also reinforces a state interest in protecting unborn life, as well as doctors’ conscience rights to refuse to participate in an abortion.

Spanish Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon has been quoted by European media outlets as saying “No right is unlimited,” and that rather than viewing abortion as a “fundamental right,” it should be seen as something to be balanced with the protection of women and unborn children

A Socialist proposal to withdraw the bill was defeated Feb. 11, as the majority of the nation’s parliament voted to allow the measure to move forward. It will now be debated in Congress.

Puppinck said that the proposed law balances the rights of the child with a mother's concerns, attempting to “reconsider the matter and issue with a more realistic approach, taking into account both the situation of the mother and the existence of the unborn child.”

This new approach, he said, “is not hostile to abortion but does not believe anymore that abortion is a great freedom.”

He added that the bill’s “concern also for the woman” can be seen in the parental notification sections, which are intended to protect young women's interests, as well as the requirement that mothers receive medical consultation before an abortion.

While there has been a “very small” pushback against the bill, “the youth is on the pro-life side with no doubt at all,” Puppinck said, pointing to a Madrid pro-life march drawing more than 1 million participants.

In addition, he stressed that while many Christians are “concerned by the problem of abortion,” the European pro-life movement “is broader than the Christians,” encompassing a range of religious views. Those in favor of restricting abortion, he said, are motivated by “care for others” and “increasing scientific knowledge about life.”

Puppinck also said that the Spanish bill can be seen as part of a larger movement against abortion in Europe. He explained that “the change came first from former communist countries,” such as Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine and Russia, which have rejected permissive abortion laws imposed by the former Soviet Union on member states.

Gradually, he said, other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Norway, have restricted late term abortions after 22 weeks, in part due to scandals where babies who had survived abortions were “left to die.”

In addition, a European citizens’ initiative reached more than 1.5 million signatures last fall in support of banning funding for human embryo-destroying policies, requiring the European Commission to submit the proposal to the E.U. Parliament.

According to Puppinck, the proposed Spanish bill is another indicator of shifting views across the continent.

“What is important with Spain is that it’s a very Western country, and it goes much further than just limiting late abortions,” he explained.

The strong protections that the law would enact have created “a big discussion in Spain about whether or not the state can limit abortion,” as well as conversations about the state's responsibility to women and children, he said.

Despite abortion expansions in some parts of Western Europe in recent years, Puppinck said that legislation such as the Spanish bill shows that the view of abortion as a “sacred human right” is “no longer the only position” in modern Western societies.

Europe

Previous Post

February 17, 2014

New Pakistan archbishop emphasizes social harmony between religions

Next Post

February 18, 2014 Canada's next cardinal, a missionary against secularism

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the first miracle Jesus performed according to John's Gospel?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Turning water into wine Raising Lazarus Feeding the 5000 Walking on water