Sweden: the “One of Us” Initiative reaches the mainstream media. Anti-Life Politicians get aggressive.

By J.C. von Krempach, J.D. | October 30, 2013

With Canada having excluded the funding from abortion from its development aid, will Europe be next? In Sweden, which has turned the promotion of abortion in developing countries into one of the major strategic objectives of the country’s foreign policy, politicians are getting upset by the overwhelming success of the European Citizen’s Initiative “One of Us“, with one of them, Caecilia Wikstrom, who has a seat in the European Parliament, even going as far as demanding that such initiatives should henceforth not be admitted any more. (The lady appears to be a model democrat…)

The support for a comprehensive understanding of human rights traditionally is very low in Sweden. But the aggressive reactions of certain politicians have actually helped to raise public attention for the Citizen’s Initiative. Aftonbladet, one of the country’s leading newspapers, has brought a series of articles both of opponents and supporters of the petition.

In the latest of those articles, the initiative’s spokespersons expose the hypocrisy of their critics:

Stockholm debates human rights

Children need protection – even before birth
Debaters : Ohlsson and Wikstrom should respect the right to life

In their reply to our article Birgitta Ohlsson (Swedish Minister for EU affairs) and Cecilia Wikström (MEP) acknowledge that the European Citizens’ Initiative is an important tool to strengthen the EU’s democracy and legitimacy. At the same time they both try to thwart the Initiative “One of Us”, which has collected over 1.5 million signatures .
They rightly point out in their article that the EU will not decide on the issue of abortion, as abortion is not a competence of the EU, but of the Member States. At the same time, however, Wikström went up in falsetto and yelled “outrageous” when the European Parliament on 22 October decided to refer a very controversial report on “sexual and reproductive health and rights” back to the committee that had drafted it. The so-called Estrela-Reports does include abortion. It negates the right to life, advocates intrusive sex education for very young children, and undermines freedom of conscience, which is a human right.
Wikström and Ohlsson’s tone becomes increasingly aggressive. Why are they so hostile to life? Is life not worth protecting? MEPs should respect all international conventions and declarations and the EU legislation that protects the subsidiarity principle, conscience, and the right to life .
All women, mothers and children are entitled to special care according to international law and human rights conventions. Young children need, because of their physical and mental immaturity, special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.
According to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected. The Charter also states that everyone has the right to life. No international law can therefore be considered as establishing or recognizing a “right to abortion” . Abortion and the extinction of human life has never been and can never be a human right.
It is encouraging that there is now a growing awareness among MEPs regarding the problems that affect the extinction of human life and the restriction of freedom of conscience in European countries.
Ruth Nordstrom,
Lawyer, CEO of “Provita” and Swedish coordinator of ” One of Us ”

Benedicta Lindberg,
Secretary of “Respect” and Swedish coordinator of ” One of Us ”

Gunilla Gomér,
Chair of “Ja till levet”

Helena D’Arcy ,
Chair of “Respect”

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