Datta Secretary European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development Seminar of the Finnish Allparty parliamentary group on population and Development 17 September 2014 Sexual and Reproductiuve ID: 397906
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Slide1
Neil Datta, SecretaryEuropean Parliamentary Forum on Population and DevelopmentSeminar of the Finnish All-party parliamentary group on population and Development17 September 2014
Sexual and Reproductiuve Health and Rights under Threat : global implications of increasing European conservatismSlide2
Global implications of increasing European conservatismRecent trends in Europe on SRHR: Largely secularised continentSRHR battle
has been ‘won’ , now moving on to LGBT equalityWest Europe : SRHR = historic women’s rights gain on 1960s / 1970sEast Europe: SRHR legacy
of Soviet
past
Overlapping
and
mutually
influencing
pan-
European
legal
framework
Distinct
increase
in
both
East and West Europe of anti-
choice
/ anti-SRHR
activismSlide3
Questioning SRHR indirectly & ‘wedge issues’123
45Abortion for fœtal abnormality / late abortion
Sex
–s
elective
abortion
Conscientious
Objection
Out
–
dated
abortion
laws
Public
funds
involved
in
human
embryo
destruction
90+%
down
syndrom
foetuses
are
aborted
100+million ‘
missing
girls’
Respect
for
religious
freedom
Abortion
laws
dating
from
Soviet
period
Public
funds
for stem
cell
research
and abortion / not EU
competence
Council of Europe,
Spain,
Poland
,
Germany,
France
European
Parliament
,
Council of Europe,
UK, Ireland,
Canada,
Australia
Sweden,
Norway,
Italy,
Council of Europe
FYR
–
Macedonia
Russia
East Europe
European
Union,
European
ParliamentSlide4
Anti-SRHR initiativesSlide5
Grass roots mobilisation against abortion & LGBT rights – Spain, France, East EuropeEstonia: 35,000 sign petition to oppose legal recognition of same-sex couples (May 2013)
750,000 Sign Petition Opposing Same-Sex Marriage in Croatia (June 2013)Slide6
Socially conservative online organisationCitizenGOis a community of active citizens that seeks to promote the participation of society in politics. we are: 1,559,224 active citizens · join us now!What do you want to change?Slide7
Where does it come from ? European Opposition: 3 families & 9 sub-categories
Extremists
Political
Parties
Traditionalist
Catholics
(
incl
.
old
Military
-
Religious
Orders
)
Tradition,
Family
and
Property
(TFP)
Vatican centred, ecumenical initiatives
North
European
Catholics
Mainstream
centre-right, Catholic initiatives
Evangelical Protestants
Catholic mainstream « Hard Right »
Orthodox
3. « Ultras »
1. Continental Catholic Mainstream
2. Ecumenical Traditionalists
110 out of 490
250 out of 490
130 out of 490 Slide8
Impact on EUPrevious ParliamentEstrela (SRHR) and Zuber (gender) reports – lostLunacek report (LGBT) – won Spammed by 10.000
religious / ultra-conservative emailsRecurring / on-goingLonger -termSlide9
EU budget – attempts to cut SRHR funding Amendment text
for the EU Draft Budget presented in 2010, 2011 & 2012
Kemp-
Kasten
Amendment adopted in 1985 in US House of Representatives
“Stresses that Community assistance should not be given to any authority, organization or programme which
supports or participates in the management of an action which involves such human rights abuses as coercive abortion, involuntary sterilization or infanticide,
especially where such actions apply their priorities though psychological, social, economic or legal pressure, thus finally implementing the specific Cairo ICPD prohibition on coercion or compulsion in sexual and reproductive health matters; calls on the Commission to present a report on the implementation of the EU’s external assistance covering this programme.”
“
None of the funds made available in this bill nor any unobligated balances from prior appropriations may be made available to any organization or program which, as determined by the President of the United States
, supports or participates in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.”Slide10
One of Us1,7 million signaturesHearing in European Parliament April 2014European Commision decision May 2014Legal
challenge July 2014Could last another 2 years
“One of Us” asks the EU to end the financing of activities which presuppose the destruction of human embryos, in particular in the areas of research, development aid and public
health.”Slide11
European Parliament 2014 – anti-choice pledge signatories
Party
N° MEP
signatories
% of party membership anti-choice pledge signatory
EPP
38
17,19%
ECR
22
31,43%
ALDE
1
1,49%
EFD
2
4.17%
Others
& NI
17
32,69%
Total
80Slide12
Pro- / Anti- SRHR in the new EPPro-choice
EP
2014-19
EP
2009-14
Anti-
choice
EP
2014-19
EP
2009-14
S&D
191
196
EPP
221
274
ALDE
67
83
ECR
70
57
Greens
50
57
NI
52
33
GUE/NGL
52
35
EFD
48
31
Sub-total
360
371
Sub-total
391
395
%
47.94%
48.43%
%
52.06%
51.57%Slide13
ConclusionsGains in SRHR are not as safe as we once throught – increasingly called into question
Increasingly co-ordinated (within Europe and globally, esp. with USA) , but not a unified movementSophisticated and legal anti)SRHR argumentation around
:
1) Life
2)
Family
3)
Religious
Freedom
Requires
us to
be
vigilant and
vocally
assertive of pro-SRHR positionsSlide14
Thank You!Neil DattaSecretaryEuropean Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development23 Rue Montoyer
1000 BrusselsBelgiumwww.epfweb.org