Politician Claims She’s Not Trying to Impose Abortion on European Nations in Treaty
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 4, 2009
Brussels, Belgium (LifeNews.com) — A Swedish politician is claiming that she is not attempting to force legal abortions on other nations in Europe that currently have pro-life laws in place. Birgitta Ohlsson has been accused of trying to use the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty to impose abortion on nations like Ireland, Poland and Malta.
All three are Catholic countries with a strong respect for human life and laws that prohibit abortions — much to the chagrin of abortion advocates like Ohlsson.
The people of Ireland will vote on the treaty this Fall and Ohlsson says she just wants a fair debate on it.
But the chairwoman of the center-right Liberal Party’s women’s movement launched a petition last month calling for legalized abortion in every nation that is a part of the European Union. The petition, entitled "Make Noise for Free Choice," targets the three nations.
"From a liberal perspective, the right to abortion is not just a Swedish or European issue, it’s a global issue," Ohlsson said, according to The Local newspaper.
The petition calls on all European nations "to secure the right to free, safe and legal abortions and render it a human right" and it asks nations to see abortion as a right that can’t be abrogated instead of a health issue.
The Lisbon Treaty is important because it says the European Commission must propose Europe-wide legislation if one million signatures are collected on a given issue. Abortion advocates could come up with the signatures from pro-abortion people across Europe and force abortion on every nation.
The European Council has given Ireland assurances that the treaty will not be used to promote abortion.
Now, Ohlsson, speaking to The Local on Monday, denies she wants abortions throughout the continent.
"We are not pushing for a European law. We’re not seeking to change Irish law," she said. She claimed the Commission could bring up the issue but can’t force nations to change the law.
The petition "is also a great opportunity to support activists in Malta, Ireland or Poland," Ohlsson added.
Only 4,000 people have signed the petition thus far.
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