An attempt by the Vatican to reduce the number of abortions in one of central Europe’s most staunchly Roman Catholic countries is being challenged by the EU. A legal panel appointed by the European commission has attacked a draft treaty between Slovakia and the Vatican that would have restricted sensitive medical treatment such as abortions and IVF.
The group of lawyers warned that the treaty, known as a concordat, could place Slovakia in breach of its obligations as a member of the EU. Slovakia could find itself "violating its obligations", says the EU Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights.
The panel’s intervention came in a 41-page report on the draft treaty, which was drawn up in March 2003. The treaty would allow healthcare workers in hospitals founded by the Catholic church to refuse to perform abortions or carry out fertility treatment on "conscience" grounds if they believe such work conflicts with their faith.
Their concerns were backed by the EU group. It said "certain religious organisations" should have the right not to perform "certain activities where this would conflict with [their] ethos or belief". But it added: "It is important the exercise of this right does not conflict with the rights of others, including the right of all women to receive certain medical services or counselling without any discrimination." [Source]
Talk about a paragraph that spouts complete nonsense. You can exercise your conscience as long as it doesn’t conflict with what somebody else wants. This is the Animal Farm view of consciences "All consciences are equal, but some consciences are more equal than others."
10 comments
Well, while this is disturbing it should not be surprising. The liberal establishment (established in nearly every government office) seeks to force every Catholic institution to submit. That is the nature of tyranny. How long will the Church politically ally itself with that sinking ship, Europe?
Has the EU even ratified its Constitution yet, or is that still up in the air? Why is it, whenever I hear anything concerning the EU, it’s usually something regarding them bullying freshly freed former Soviet Union nations? I would think countries like Poland, Estonia, etc. would say, “Jjoin your union? No thanks… we’ve had our fill of those.”
It just shows that The State is the new Church in Europe. Good luck with that, Europe, might save you some time to start studying arabic now.
Jimbob
Why can’t the Church in Slovakia just say, as Cardinal O’Connor once did, “You’d like us to perform abortions in our hospitals? I’m sorry, we can’t do that. We will be closing them down, including their services to your poor at 12 pm tomorrow.” The response might then be, as it was in NY, “Did we say *must* perform? We meant *may*. Please continue to serve our poor, so we don’t have to.”
The problem, Momof5, is that the EU would likely say, “Then I guess you must close.” And then they’d publicly rail about the abuse of the poor in that country. Personally, I think the EU’s stance on abortion and other moral issues is disasterous. Most fledgling governments at least TRY to start on high moral ground…
Between this and the French and Dutch rejection of the EU constitution, I feel like the EU bureaucrats are rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
Typical.
My brother was an unwanted child born when abortion was illegal. I know I’m glad he’s alive, and I’m sure his wife and child agree.
I find this whole affair with Slovakia especially shocking, as here in Austria for example no doctor can be forced to do an abortion – but in Slovakia they can be. So the Christian Democrats in Slovakia wanted the laws changed in a way that doctors can object on grounds of conscience to performing abortions. But of course, they immediately had all the lovers of babykilling screaming all about them….
(Also note that Malta has a special clause in its EU treaty that it cannot be forced by the the EU to change its abortion laws – which are the only ones in Europe that completely and utterly forbid abortions. Well, they knew that they could never be sure…)
Hmm…EU actively undermining Vatican efforts to help make the world a better place. Not really surprising.
I think I could fall in love with Malta