Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
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SPUC condemns pro-abortion hijack of human rights

Brussels, 23 April 2004 - Europe's largest pro-life group the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has condemned the hijacking of the European Parliament's annual report on human rights in the world by a pro-abortion agenda.

Last night the European Parliament approved the report by 189 votes to 111 (with 29 abstentions) as drafted by pro-abortion MEP Veronique De Keyser.

Fiorella Sultana De Maria, SPUC spokeswoman, stated: "The adoption of the De Keyser report serves as an alarm call to pro-life Europeans to become more aware of what is being done in their name. Issues as serious as abortion must be properly debated, not pushed through under cover of misleading language and political manipulation."

The De Keyser report:

- was heavily influenced by pro-abortion organisations such as Marie Stopes International, the UN Population Fund and the German Foundation for World Population, amongst others.

- stated that 'reproductive health care', a term that includes access to abortion, should be regarded as a fundamental human right.

- called for the "dramatic situation caused by the lack of access to all aspects of reproductive health in emergency situations and in refugee camps" to be addressed by the European Community Humanitarian Office, along with the reinforcement of education programmes in this area. However, recent instances of 'reproductive health' provision in refugee camps has involved human rights abuses, such as complicity in the programme by Slobodan Milosevic of ethnic cleansing through population control among Kosovar refugees.

- was initially rejected at the committee stage by a large number of Christian Democrat and liberal MEPs. It was eventually reintroduced by a Green, Socialist and Liberal coalition that manipulated legitimate concerns about disability rights as a vehicle to further a pro-abortion agenda.

SPUC spokeswomen Fiorella Sultana De Maria can be contacted during business hours on +44 (0)20 7222 5845. Outside of business hours please call SPUC political secretary Anthony Ozimic on + 44 (0)7939 177683.