News

Thursday October 28, 2010


EU Parliament Rejects Coercive Abortion/Sterilization Funding

By Hilary White

BRUSSELS, October 28, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Parliament of the European Union has rejected a proposal to fund forced abortion and sterilization programs in overseas “family planning” projects. The campaign group, Care for Europe, has announced that an amendment has passed that they put forward to the European Commission’s annual budget this week. The amendment proposed to prevent any funding going to family planning programs in which coercion or compulsion is used.

The amendment passed with a “healthy majority” of 372 votes to 279. CARE has published a list of British MEPs, nearly all Conservatives, who voted for the amendment.

CARE also said that the 2011 budget now includes amendments calling for European funds “to be made available for combating forced abortion, sterilisation and even infanticide, which are used for example in China to enforce state family planning policies.”

John Smeaton, head of the UK’s Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, commented, “These pro-life victories in the European institutions show that intelligent, organized and uncompromisingly pro-life lobbying is effective in protecting unborn children, their mothers and other vulnerable individuals.”

International organizations such as the UN Population Fund, International Planned Parenthood and Marie Stopes International have come under constant criticism for their involvement in coercive practices in China.

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