EUROPE - The European Network Institute for Family Policies join the fight against abortion: “There is an urgent need to end this drama that effects millions of women in the world.”

Belgium (Agenzia Fides) - “We need to guarantee the protection of rights for unborn children, and therefore, think seriously about a ban on abortion. “There is an urgent need to end this drama that effects millions of women in the world, and whose physical and psychological consequences on women have been medically proven. This is a duty towards the woman and towards the child,” said Lola Velarde, President of the European Network Institute for Family Policies, showing her support for a project begun in Italy by Italian journalist Giuliano Ferrara that requests the UN to launch a ban on abortion. The journalist began his campaign the day after the UN approved a ban on capital punishment, that had also been backed by Italy. He will present his initiative on Monday, March 3. The goal for the campaign is to end abortion in the entire world, as it is “another form of a death penalty, that is legal and that affects hundreds of millions of human beings,” Ferrara explained. For anyone interested in joining the campaign, the journalist has offered his e-mail address (moratoria@ilfoglio.it), which anyone can use to send support in any language.
“We have shown our support for this campaign because we support making a call to governments to respect human rights, above all, the right to life, just as what occurred with the fight against the death penalty,” Lola Velarde continued.
The Declaration of Children’s Rights - a press release from the European Network Institute for Family Policies says - considers that “the child, for his lack of physical and mental maturity, needs protection and special care, including proper legal protection, both before and after birth.” According to the Abramson report (“Violence against babies. Protection of Pre- and Post-natal Children Under the Framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child”), the great majority of the State Members of UN (128 of the 176 existing nations) interpret the CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) as protecting children prior to birth. No statement from State Members has said that the CRC does not apply to prenatal children. The Abramson report shows that the States are taking a series of measures in protecting children prior to birth, however it also recognizes the many difficulties that they continue to face in doing so. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 29/2/2008 righe 28, parole 382)