The Polish bishops have called for opposition to the European Parliament’s effort to promote abortion.
“Abortion is always a violation of the fundamental human right to life, a violation even more abhorrent because it concerns the life of the weakest and completely defenseless human being. It is, therefore, a manifestation of the most unjust discrimination,” wrote Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, in a statement issued in connection with the European Parliament draft resolution on health and sexual and reproductive rights in the European Union (Matić Report).
Archbishop Stanislaw Gądecki appealed to the members of the European Parliament to vote against the draft resolution. In a statement, he reminded Catholics “in a situation where the documents to be voted on target fundamental human rights and values that are non-negotiable, they cannot accept any compromise, but should unequivocally combat such initiatives.”
In his statement, the Episcopate’s President stressed that competence in health care has never been transferred to the European Union and belongs to the exclusive competence of member states. He recalled that any action by the European Union in this area must “respect the responsibilities of the Member States for the definition of their health policy and for the organization and delivery of health services and medical care.”
Archbishop Gądecki noted that the resolution contains false information, for example, about the protection of life in Poland, and its authors “using a distorted concept of human rights, suggest not only that there is such a thing as the ‘right to abortion’ (…), but also that it is one of the recognized human rights. The President of the Bishops’ Conference stressed that “none of the international human rights documents mentions the existence of such a right,” but on the contrary, these documents guarantee the right to life, without mentioning the right to kill.
“Abortion is always a violation of the fundamental human right to life, a violation even more abhorrent because it concerns the life of the weakest and completely defenseless human being. It is, therefore, a manifestation of the most unjust discrimination. The legal authorization of abortion profoundly distorts social life, let alone its recognition as an ‘essential health service’,” stressed Archbishop Gądecki.
The President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference pointed out that the authors of the resolution negate not only the right to life but also another fundamental human right: the right to freedom of conscience. He stressed in a statement that “the European Union in the Charter of Fundamental Rights explicitly mentions the right to conscientious objection, which is a special characteristic of this organization. The right to conscientious objection, including for medical workers, is explicitly guaranteed in the constitutions of many member states. The adoption of the resolution could, therefore, also be seen as an attack on the constitutions of many Member States.”
The debate and vote on the European Parliament’s draft resolution on health and sexual and reproductive rights in the European Union (Matić Report) is scheduled for 23 and 24 June 2021.
Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
