By Peter J. Smith
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia November 22, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Slovenia’s Labour Minister has found his cabinet position in jeopardy after he tabled a proposal last week to discontinue public funding of abortion in a comprehensive plan to help increase the aging population’s low birthrate. The proposal generated a firestorm and demands for Drobnic to give up his place in the cabinet.
However, Janez Drobnic, the Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, has refused the calls to resign, even defying orders from Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Jansa to relinquish his post, according to Reuters. The Prime Minister just declared today that he has requested Parliament to remove Drobnic from his cabinet seat.
“I believe there are no reasons for my resignation, therefore I will not resign,” insisted Drobnic at a press conference. As Labour Minister, Drobnic has been working on a comprehensive 44 step plan to encourage Slovenia’s critically low birthrate (1.25 children per woman).
Drobnic proposed last week that the state cease public funding of the choice to abort – except in cases of demonstrated medical need – believing that more women would carry their babies to term rather than pursue an abortion priced at 100,000 tolars ($537) – more than half of the average monthly salary.
“According to the constitution, human life is untouchable and we believe the state is not obliged to give financial support for an abortion,” Drobnic said in a statement.
Despite the specter of an impending population implosion looming before Slovenia, the firestorm of controversy generated by the Labour Minister’s proposal and his removal from office demonstrates that the political will remains vehemently opposed to any measures to increase the births that infringes upon the preservation of “reproductive choice”.
“Drobnic is too conservative for this government,” Mateja Babic, a political commentator from the Slovene daily Delo related to Reuters. “His proposal on abortion was just a step too far while both the government and his party seemed dissatisfied with his work even before.”
See Previous LifeSite coverage:
Slovenia Considers Pulling Public Abortion Funding
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06112206.html