“Where is the good of the child?”

On 21 January the Austrian parliament opened the last phase of the debate on the new law on reproductive medicine. The project is the object of hot discussions. It is considered a symptom of social and ethical crisis: the Austrian Bishops’ Conference and Catholic associations lead opposition to a bill that provides for the introduction of genetic pre- implant diagnosis, with worrying prospects regarding the selection of embryos. In fact, the text of the law has prompted a united front of Catholic movements calling for its reinterpretation in the light of the respect of the rights of the unborn child and of women, in order to overcome an ideologically-conditioned debate. Over 600 thousand emails have been sent to Austrian MPs in the past days demanding to raise awareness on the issue and requesting a debate at international level with the participation of independent experts. The president of Katholische Aktion Österreich (Austrian Catholic Action), Gerda Schaffelhofer, shared with Massimo Lavena for Sir Europe the doubts and risks related to the project. Which are the most negative aspects of the new regulation on reproductive medicine? “The law goes in the wrong direction. For us Christians, human life is a gift entrusted to us by God, which requires a special responsibility on our part, especially in its most sensitive stages, at the beginning and end. The law, by contrast, does not consider the good of the child, it focuses solely on the desire – in itself legitimate – of adults to have a child and therefore postulates the right to have a child at all costs. Same-sex couples in Austria are currently being recognized the right to adopt a child. Now lesbian couples will also have access to the methods of reproductive medicine. The Constitutional Court has identified a disparity in previously established legal prohibitions. It is only a matter of time: even homosexual men will assert their right to have a child on the principle of equality. However, this would involve at the same time the introduction of surrogacy. The overall impression is that the child becomes more and more a commodity and that life becomes a man-manufactured product”. Already during the drafting of the bill, the Catholic world and non-Catholics alike have expressed serious doubts on the eugenics drift in the selection and in the distorted use of embryos. What has prompted the government’s rigidity? “For the first time also the Pid, pre-implantation diagnosis, will be allowed, which entails the selection, in exceptional cases, of live worth living. This is undoubtedly the demolition of an ethical threshold. It is to be feared that the exceptions will soon become a rule. Even abortion itself continues to be outlawed in Austria; but exemption from criminal liability under certain conditions has quickly become a rule. The reasons why the government has bowed down to the demands of the reproductive lobby are incomprehensible. In any case, it seems that those forces already active in reproductive medicine, that look forward to making business through the new legislation, have prevailed. It is outrageous that among these there are also doctors who should offer advice to the women involved, and who make profit from this”. Catholic associations are jointly opposing the new legislation, and they don’t intend to give up. How are you planning to continue this battle at political, social and informative level? “Laws lay down the legal framework but they cannot prevent people from thinking. We will do everything possible to raise public awareness. We must highlight the impact of this law on children, women, and society as a whole and make it clear that the fact that something is permitted by law does not mean that it is ethically justified and socially desirable. Above all, the good of the child must recover a primary role. We must ask questions such as: ‘In principle, is it legitimate to deny a child the right to a mother and a father?’ And ‘Do adults’ who wish to have a child have a priority over the right of the child?’. But most of all, we must request an evaluation of this legislation and obtain independent advice from physicians regarding the women involved”. The Austrian Bishops’ Conference issued a strong statement against the government’s decisions on reproductive medicine. The Secretary General, Peter Shipka, described it as a draft law that “nears ignorance”. What is your opinion of the Austrian public opinion’s view of this problem? “The government has approved this law hastily, without allowing time for a dedicated discussion across society. The two week-period granted for the evaluation process – right before Christmas – was far too short to discuss this complicated and delicate issue at length. Obviously, this has not happened by chance but as a result of political will. Indeed, this approach is to be rejected even in democratic terms. It is to be feared that in Austria certain lobbies are asserting their interests in a targeted way through the Constitutional Court and that the Austrian parliamentary system and our democracy do very little to counter them”.