08.10.2010 Abortion and Europe – Major pro-life victory at Council of Europe

7th October 2010

Motion was proposed not out of concern for women’s health but to coerce doctors to perform abortions

The Council of Europe this evening voted down a motion which would have denied medical professionals the right to refuse to perform abortions on conscientious grounds. The resolution proposed by Ms Christine McCafferty and Ms Carina Hagg of the UK and Swedish Socialist Groups was widely expected to succeed. However during the debate the original motion was completely altered and a new motion defending freedom of conscience was voted through. 

Commenting on the result, Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro-Life Campaign said:

We are very pleased with today’s outcome. The motivation behind the original motion was certainly not concern for women’s health but a desperate attempt to coerce doctors into performing abortions as the evidence mounts that fewer and fewer of them wish to be involved in such a gruesome and inhumane practice.[1]

Proponents of the motion like Ms Christine Mc Cafferty from the UK Socialist Group run a mile from debate on the latest peer reviewed studies showing the long term negative consequences of abortion for women. They are also completely in denial on the rights of unborn babies throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy.

The passage of today's amended motion augurs well for reasoned debate on the issue. To deny legitimate conscientious objection to medical professionals would be tyrannical and an infringement of basic human rights.