The rejection of the report affirms the ability of the
individual nations in the European Union to promote their own approach to
sexual education and abortion policies.
"The formulation and implementation of policies on
sexual and reproductive health and rights and on sex education in schools is a
competence of the member states," stated the European People's Party and
the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, two groups within the European
Parliament who presented an alternative report that passed by a vote of 334 to
327, with 35 members abstaining from the vote.
The rejected report, Sexual and Reproductive Health and
Rights, had been submitted by Edite Estrela, a European Parliamentarian from
Portugal, intended to establish abortion "as a human rights and public
health concern” in the E.U.
As a result of this view of abortion as a right, the report
sought to expand abortion in all countries of the E.U. and restrict
"obstacles to the access of appropriate services" such as
conscientious objection, waiting periods, pro-life counseling, and religious
hospital's ability to refuse to perform certain "sexual health"
procedures such as abortion.
Estrela's report also called for the provision of
"sufficient funding for the broad (sexual and reproductive health and
rights) agenda in all appropriate instruments" throughout the European
Union.
Currently, while 20 out of the 27 countries in the European
Union already permit abortion on demand up to a certain gestational limit,
seven have some restrictions on abortion, and three – Ireland, Poland, and
Malta – allow abortion only within limited circumstances.
The report also called for "compulsory" standards
of sexual education to be taught to school-aged children, regardless of
parental objection.
This is the second time the report has been rejected by the
European Parliament: in October, the bill was tabled and sent back to the
Women's Rights Committee for revisions. The Dec. 10 resolution was the result
of said revisions.
The Estrela report was presented even though the European Union has no ability to determine
laws on abortion, as such matters concerning abortion are left up to individual
countries in the European Union.
The alternative report submitted by members of the European
People's Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists Group affirmed
this currently-standing policy.
Recently, a citizen-led initiative called "One of
Us" received 1.8 million signatures on a petition to reinforce the E.U.'s
inability to determine abortion policies by preventing the funding of abortion
and embryo destruction by the European governing body.
John Smeaton, chief executive of the Society for the
Protection of Unborn Children, called the Estrela report "one of the most
concerted recent attempts to get the European Parliament to exceed its
competence and try to impose abortion on European Union member-states,"
and celebrated the alternative proposal adopted by the legislature.
"Today's rejection of the Estrela report proves that
peaceful and prayerful grassroots lobbying by pro-lifers can have a real
positive impact in the political arena," Smeaton said, thanking pro-life
"supporters at home and our colleagues in Europe for saving lives
today."
I agree with European Parliament to reject abort notion. Abortion is somehow ridiculous and hazardous.
ReplyDeletep/s:cute blog ;p
thank Nor Aida.. yes i agree too
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