Poland President Lech Kaczynski Mourned by Pro-Life Groups After Tragic Crash

International   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Apr 13, 2010   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Poland President Lech Kaczynski Mourned by Pro-Life Groups After Tragic Crash

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 13
, 2010

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — President Lech Kaczynski of Poland died when the airplane carrying him and other top Polish governmental, business and military leaders crashed as it attempted to land at a Russian airport for a World War II memorial event. Today, leaders of two pro-life groups mourned Kaczynski’s death and noted his staunch opposition to abortion.

He died Saturday in a plane crash on route to a ceremony commemorating the victims of the 1940 massacre of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest.

World Congress of Families director Larry Jacobs expressed shock and sadness at the Polish leader’s death.

"President Kaczynski was one of the strongest pro- family leaders in Europe," Jacobs told LifeNews.com. "Despite intense pressure from the European Union, he stood firm for the right to life."

Concerned Women for America also joined in expressing sadness at the loss of Kaczynski’s life.

Janice Shaw Crouse said, "President Kaczynski was an outstanding leader for pro-life, pro- marriage, and pro-family issues in Europe."

"He stood strong for Judeo-Christian values in the face of intense opposition from European Union leaders. We at CWA join people around the globe in mourning the loss of this friend of life and leader in the effort to strengthen the family," she said.

Even before he became president, Kaczynski was an outspoken defender of the family, Jacobs noted, and he was a patron of World Congress of Families IV, an international pro-life conference which took place in Poland in 2007.

"We were honored by President Kaczynski’s support for our fourth World Congress," said Jacobs. "In fact, the initial meeting of the International Planning Committee for the Warsaw Congress was held with his encouragement in the office of then-Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz."

In a letter of support, read at the opening session of WCF IV, President Kaczynski declared, "I cordially welcome all of you assembled at the World Congress of Families IV…I accept with satisfaction the kind words of International Secretary of the Congress, Allan Carlson, about Poland as the bastion of strong faith and strong families in the increasingly laicizing Europe whose inhabitants are getting older."

Jacobs observed: "Lech Kaczynski was a faithful servant of the Polish nation, a good friend of the World Congress of Families and a champion of the natural family. We join the people of Poland in mourning his passing."

Crouse said she was personally touched by the Polish leader leading up to the WCF event.

"When I participated in the initial meeting leading up to the World Congress of Families, President Kaczynski arranged for our delegation to meet in the office of former Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, and he sent an official welcome to the leaders of the WCF IV," she said.

Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com

Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report
Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.