Slovak Health Ministry Revokes Hospital Abortion Law in Face of Effective "Right-to-Life" Campaign

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/sep/07092503.html ^ | September 25, 2007 | Peter J. Smith

[monomaniac]

Slovak Health Ministry Revokes Hospital Abortion Law in Face of Effective "Right-to-Life" Campaign

500 Centre for Bioethical Reform explicit abortion billboards had powerful effect

By Peter J. Smith

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, September 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "Right to Life" defenders won an impressive victory in Slovakia with the Health Ministry rescinding a law that forced all hospitals to provide abortions. Even the Slovak branch of Planned Parenthood attributed the graphic abortion truth campaign of Pravo Na Zivot for the Ministry's retreat over the abortion requirement.

Pravo Na Zivot waged a relentless campaign starting in September to awaken Slovaks to the violence of abortion. The campaign placed 500 graphic abortion billboards across Slovakia and the Bratislava transportation networks, depicting the carnage of abortion on an eleven week-old unborn child.

"The Ministry's climb-down shows that the pro-abortion position is a serious electoral liability," declared Marek Nikolov, the campaign's spokesman. "The Government knows that once the public discovers the horrific truth about abortion they will never accept it. This is a tremendous vindication for the need and timeliness of our campaign."

For Slovakia, 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the legalisation of abortion beginning under communism. Since then, nearly 1.37 million unborn children have been aborted - 14,000 killed per year - a staggering loss as Slovakia's current population is only 5 million. "Right to Life" advocates launched Pravo Na Zivot as the first phase of a new national campaign to break the national silence over the issue of abortion.

Jana Tutkova, a spokeswoman for the Centre for Bioethical Reform (CBR Europe), earlier described abortion as "the most important human rights issue facing Slovakia today" and expressed her conviction that the law would be reformed once the public was exposed to the horrible reality of abortion.

"No one with a functioning conscience who sees these images can support abortion," she said at the beginning of the campaign.

While the Health Ministry's recent withdrawal of hospital abortion requirement vindicates Pravo Na Zivot's strategy, it portends a fierce battle between "Right to Life" defenders and abortion advocates led by Slovakia's Society of Planned Parenthood - a reality that Tutkova acknowledges.

"We are pleased that the constitutional right for freedom of conscience is not endangered for time being, however, as a result of this victory, we are sure that the apologists of violence will try other ways to attack and undermine our campaign," said Tutkova.

"We will need all the help we can receive to ensure that their efforts will fail as so far."

 See the Center for Bioethical Reform website:
http://www.abortionno.org/abortion_no.html
 
See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

500 Graphic Abortion Billboards Go Up in Slovakia Marking 50th Anniversary of Legalization
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/sep/07090706.html ;

Slovakia in Turmoil Over Abortion Bill
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/jul/03070309.html