The bishop of St. Pölten, Klaus Küng, has urged politicians to beware lest the search for economic advantages leads to bypassing ethical principles. “Research that uses embryos as if they were expendable material cannot lead to anything good, not even if it is financed with EU funds”, declared the bishop, who is responsible for the pastoral care of families, during a celebration on 29 September. Bishop Küng criticized the use of pre-implant diagnosis as a consequence of the diffusion of a “mentality of selection”: the result is that “any child that presents some defect or falls short of the expectations of physicians or parents stands no chance”. The bishop also warned of the dangers of euthanasia. He commended instead the option of “promoting the hospice movement and palliative treatment with a consensus that includes all the parties”. Küng also expressed “concern” about the possible introduction in Austria too of the free distribution of the “day-after pill”. In defence of the traditional family and against the legal protection of any form of union, as proposed by the Austrian Minister of Justice Karin Gastinger, the bishop emphasized that “the large family based on marriage between man and woman should be particularly defended”; this, he added, “is not just a question of political intelligence but also of justice”.
