Jaime Mayor Oreja, President of the Federation One of Us: “After the resounding voice expressed by 2 million EU citizens demanding to the European Institutions to ban the fund of the activities that suppose the destruction of human life, the new declarations and requests for funding actions that directly threaten human life are not a right, but a clear violation of our democratic principles and of the defence and protection of life we owe to our society”.
Carlo Casini, honorary president of the Federation One of Us, former chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament: “Offer money to organizations that propagandize and implement abortion in the world, violates the principle of equal human dignity that Article. 2 of the EU Treaty sets as the foundation of the Union”.
Thierry de La Villejégu, Vice-President of the Federation One of Us: “The funding by the EU of programs promoting and providing abortion in developing countries is an act of pure violence, a violation of the conscience of women and a violation of national sovereignty”.
Jakub Baltroszewicz, Secretary General of the Federation One of Us: “We are firmly standing against financing abortion from the common budget of the EU”.
Alex van Vuuren, Board member of the Federation One of Us: “It is very troubling that our government is exporting abortion “services” to other nations. As if these nations cannot decide themselves about family policy and the protection of life and health of its citizens”
Brussels, February 10th 2017.- On 23 January, the new president of the United States, Donald Trump, reinstated the so-called “Mexico City Policy” – a policy first introduced and sustained by Presidents Reagan, Bush Sr., and Bush Jr., and abolished by Presidents Clinton and Obama. The Mexico City Policy states that no US taxpayer funding should go to international or foreign organizations which perform or promote abortion.
But, now, in response to this US decision, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, has launched an initiative to fund international abortion organizations under the name “She Decides”. The Dutch government is actually launching an international abortion fund to “counter” President Donald Trump’s ban of most U.S. government funding of foreign pro-abortion groups.
Dutch Trade and Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen announced on Tuesday that the fund would bankroll projects to increase access to contraception and abortion as well as “women’s education” in developing countries, according to the Independent.
The Netherlands has approached other European Union members to donate to the fund, and intends to ask non-EU governments, corporations and social institutions as well, the CBC reported on Wednesday.
The Dutch government has held preliminary discussions on the initiative with other European Union members who have responded positively, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
Governments outside the EU, companies and social institutions will also be approached to participate.
One of Us demands that women should be helped, not the help of abortion. Women in developing countries need essential obstetrical care, not abortion.
The 2012 World Health Organization data shows that 91 percent of maternal deaths “are preventable”. Women are experiencing suffering due to the scandalous lack of effective care during pregnancy and childbirth, resulting in 333.000 of them dying annually, 99 percent of which occur in developing countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, the risk of dying is one in 31 pregnancies. These deaths are due to direct obstetrical causes during the last trimester of pregnancy, during labour and delivery, and one week later
Jaime Mayor Oreja, President of the Federation One of Us, declares that: “The European Citizens Initiative One of Us, has been the most successful ECI by now, with almost 2 Million citizens supporting with their signatures the demand to the European Institutions to ban the fund of the activities that suppose the destruction of human life. After this resounding voice expressed by the European citizens, we have to denounce that, once again, these new actions clearly go against the demands of the citizens. These declarations and requests for funding actions that directly threaten human life, are not a right, but a clear violation of our democratic principles and of the defence and life protection”.
Carlo Casini, honorary president of the Federation One of Us: “The European Court of Human Rights has never recognized a right to abortion and it has imposed on Europe the neutrality on this subject. The Court of Justice in Luxembourg declared the human dignity of the embryo from the conception. Offer money to organizations that propagandize and implement abortion in the world, means getting out from this neutrality, encourages abortion and violence the principle of equal human dignity that Article. 2 of the EU Treaty sets as the foundation of the Union”.
Thierry de La Villejégu, Vice-President of the Federation One of Us: “The first duty of the EU toward women is to allow them to deliver a baby in conditions of dignity. I urge the European countries to quickly develop high quality medical care for each and every pregnant woman. The funding by the EU of programs promoting and providing abortion in developing countries is an act of pure violence, a violation of the conscience of women and a violation of national sovereignty. These programs must be condemned.”
Jakub Baltroszewicz, Secretary General of One of Us Federation: “The action of the Dutch Minister stand vividly against the most successful European Citizens Initiative ONE OF US. We are firmly standing against financing abortion from the common budget of the EU. This matter is not competence of the European Union and it should remain strictly the competence of the national governments.”
Alex van Vuuren, Board member of Federation One of Us and director of general affairs of the Dutch organisation Cry for Life: “It is very troubling that our government is exporting abortion “services” to other nations. As if these nations cannot decide themselves about family policy and the protection of life and health of its citizens. The argument is made that part of the funding goes to other services than abortion. That is not a product one country should export to another country under the pretext of development help. This policy of the Dutch government goes against the deep convictions of hundreds of thousands of Dutch citizens”.
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