Italy: The Peninsula Goes Against the Tide in the Pro-Life Fight
Italy is going against the current of many European Union countries in the pro-life fight. It was recently reported here that Giorgia Meloni desires to completely ban surrogacy.
The Reprimand to Spain
On the sidelines of a summit of heads of state and governments in Brussels, the President of the Italian Council of Ministers asked the Spanish government “not to lecture,” nor “interfere in the internal affairs” of his country. The disagreement erupted over a measure approved by Italian MPs allowing anti-abortion groups to be present in clinics where abortions are performed.
“On several occasions I have heard foreign ministers talking about internal Italian issues without knowing the facts. When you ignore a problem, you should have enough good manners to not lecture,” Mrs. Meloni said.
The Spanish Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, condemned this measure: “Authorizing organized harassment against women who want to have an abortion is an attack on a right recognized by law. This is the strategy of the ultra-right: intimidate to roll back rights, to prevent equality between women and men.”
Eugenia Roccella, Italian Minister of Family and Equal Opportunities, invited her Spanish counterpart to read the text of the law in its entirety so that her opinion is not based “on the propaganda of the Italian left.” Mrs. Roccella argued that the approved amendment “reproduces verbatim a section of the abortion law that has been in force for 46 years.”
The amendment will make it easier to finance pro-life organizations with European funds and allow pro-life activists to enter clinics that perform abortions to “guarantee assistance to women.”
The “Beating Heart” Bill
A bill resulting from a popular initiative calls for showing ultrasounds to women who want to abort their unborn child. It will be debated and voted on in Parliament. The news was given by Giorgio Celsi, head of the Ora et Labora Association for the Defense of Life, one of the promoters of this bill.
The proposal aims to amend Law 194 in order to establish the obligation for the doctor responsible for treating a woman who chooses to terminate her pregnancy to allow her to see the unborn child:
“The doctor who carries out the visit prior to the voluntary termination of pregnancy in accordance with this law – indicates the proposal in Article 14, paragraph 1 bis – is required to show the unborn child, by means of instrumental examinations, that the woman carries in her womb and to make her listen to the heartbeat of the unborn child.”
The initiative collected 106,000 signatures, well beyond the 50,000 required by article 71 of the Constitution, thanks to a network of associations dedicated to the defense and promotion of human life, including Pro Vita & Familia, Verdad y Vida Committee, Movimiento Militia Christi, and Generación Quiero Vivir. Jacopo Coghe, national spokesperson for Pro-Vita e Famigilia, is optimistic:
“Since the adoption of the abortion law, we have been told that the fetus in the womb is a mass of cells, but if that is really the case, why want to prevent women from seeing and hearing the beating of his heart while pretending that it was an act of violence? Showing a cluster of cells does not constitute an act of violence.”
Related Article:
La proposition de loi « Un cœur qui bat »
Par ailleurs, une proposition de loi issue d’une initiative populaire demande de montrer aux femmes qui veulent avorter leur enfant à naître par échographie. Elle sera débattue et votée au Parlement. La nouvelle a été donnée par Giorgio Celsi, responsable de l’association Ora et labora pour la défense de la Vie, l’un des promoteurs de cette proposition de loi d’initiative populaire.
La proposition vise à modifier la loi 194 afin d’établir l’obligation pour le médecin chargé de soigner une femme qui choisit d’interrompre sa grossesse de lui permettre de voir l’enfant à naître :
« Le médecin qui effectue la visite préalable à l’interruption volontaire de grossesse conformément à la présente loi – indique la proposition à l’article 14, paragraphe 1 bis – est tenu de montrer, au moyen d’examens instrumentaux, l’enfant à naître que la femme porte dans son ventre et de lui faire écouter les battements de cœur de l’enfant à naître. »
L’initiative a recueilli 106.000 signatures, bien au-delà des 50.000 requises par l’article 71 de la Constitution, grâce à un réseau d’associations dédiées à la défense et à la promotion de la vie humaine, parmi lesquelles Pro Vita & Familia, Comité Verdad y Vida, Movimiento Militia Christi et Generación Quiero Vivir. Jacopo Coghe, porte-parole national de Pro-Vita e Famigilia, est optimiste :
« Depuis l’adoption de la loi sur l’avortement, on nous dit que le fœtus dans l’utérus est un amas de cellules, mais si c’est vraiment le cas, pourquoi vouloir empêcher les femmes de le voir et d’entendre les battements de son cœur en prétendant qu’il s’agit d’un acte de violence ? Montrer un amas de cellules ne constitue pas un acte de violence. »
Si cette clause peut avoir un effet dissuasif – et il est très probable qu’elle puisse l’avoir – alors ce serait une bonne chose qu’elle soit introduite dans cette loi inique. Même si la seule vraie et complète façon de la réformer serait de l’abolir.
(Sources : Avvenire/RaiNews.it/InfoCatolica – FSSPX.Actualités)
Illustration : Photo 35657653 © Rafael Ben Ari | Dreamstime.com