A deplorable vote” “” “

“The funds of the European Union (EU) should not be used to finance abortion in the developing countries”. That’s the position emphasized by the Commission of the episcopates of the European Community (Comece), in a press release following the European Parliament’s adoption, on 13 February, of the Report of Mep Ulla M. Sandbaek, modifying the draft Regulation of the EU on aid to health policies and rights in terms of reproduction and sexuality in the developing countries (see further SirEurope no. 5 of 24 January 2003). According to Comece, “this draft abandons an integral view of human dignity and focuses instead on rights in terms of individual reproduction and sexuality”. The adoption of such a position means, according to Comece, that “funds for the practice of abortion will not be excluded”. “We hope – the Commission concludes – that those development and health-care organizations that do not practice abortion will not be discriminated against”. We sounded out the views of Elisabeth Bussmann, president of the German League of Catholic families, and John Smeaton, director of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (Spuc) in the UK. Elizabeth Bussmann, what do you think of the Sandbaek Report? “We think the way in which the campaign against poverty in the developing world is being exploited through abortion is a cause for deep concern. We are resolutely opposed to any form of interruption of pregnancy, in Germany or anywhere else in the world. The situation of poverty in the developing countries cannot be solved by abortion”. What alternatives do you propose and what practical actions are you thinking of taking? “On the basis of Christian teaching, we believe that there can never be enough information on this issue. Even within our organization, we are trying to diffuse information on the Sandbaek Report. We think that the work of information and awareness-raising in the countries concerned is a priority. Offers of formation targeted at women, at girls, need to be created, as indeed is being done by the Catholic organizations and congregations active in these countries. More specifically we are trying to create a common political position: in the autumn we will have a meeting of the delegates of the League of Catholic families dedicated to Europe; we have also opened a dialogue with politicians and MEPs, discussing with them questions related to the promoters of the culture of abortion and death in the world”.