Catholic Bishops Slam EU Document Calling for Right to Kill Babies in Abortions

Catholic bishops urged the European Union on Tuesday to reject a document that would create a right to kill unborn babies in abortions within its Charter of Fundamental Rights.

If enacted, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) said the proposal would contradict the fundamental right to life that the EU has long recognized, according to the Catholic News Agency.

“Human dignity is an overarching value in the EU Treaties and Charter,” the Catholic bishops said in their statement. They reminded EU members that “respect for the dignity of every human being in every stage of its life, especially in situations of complete vulnerability, is a fundamental principle in a democratic society.”

The bishops said the European Court of Human Rights “has never declared abortion to be a human right protected by the European Convention on Fundamental Rights.”

However, the court has recognized unborn babies’ right to life, declaring “the right to life as a fundamental human right and confirm[ing] in its case law that it is [a] legitimate objective for the contracting states of the convention to protect the unborn life,” CNA continues.

What is more, the Catholic leaders said the EU does not have the authority to enforce a so-called “right” to abort unborn babies on the continent.

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Abortion laws vary by country, but most European nations allow abortions prior to 15 weeks and limit them later in pregnancy. A few, including Malta and Poland, ban most or all elective abortions, and several others, including England, allow abortions up to birth in certain circumstances.

The bishops told the EU that “there is no recognized right to abortion in European or international law,” and “it must be seen that fundamental rights cannot establish competences of the Union.”

But some European leaders are pushing to make killing unborn babies in abortions a legal right anyway, including French President Emmanuel Macron.

In 2022, Macron told the European Parliament that France will lobby to add abortion to the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights. He claimed that protecting the so-called right to abort an unborn baby is a “strong value” that Europe should fight to uphold.

“We must update this charter to be more explicit on protection of the environment, [and] the recognition of the right to abortion,” Macron told European leaders at the time. “Let us open up this debate freely with our fellow citizens … to breathe new life into the pillar of law that forges this Europe of strong values.”

Pro-life leaders also raised concerns about the push to create a “right” to abortion two years ago when the European Parliament approved the pro-abortion Matić Report. Although the document does not have any legislative power, it puts pressure on countries to legalize the killing of unborn babies in abortions without limits and force medical workers to participate.

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