To the allegation of 'our ruthless rejection of the human right to abortion' we first note that no international treaty or UN consensus document includes abortion as a human right. In contrast, the right to life is mentioned in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It also mentions the family as a fundamental unit of society. We would not want to change these treaty provisions. We see the 'pro-choice' movement as an entity with a neo-colonial-like zeal and 'enormous combativeness' on the 'barricades' to fundamentally change international law on precisely these points.
Secondly, we are surprised by the accusation that CCI is seen as 'instigators of hate campaigns', 'wealthy' and 'the mouthpiece of the American anti-abortion movement' towards (visitors of) abortion clinics. Besides the fact that it is striking that Ms. Van Straalen does not mention a word about the distress of these often vulnerable women and the baby they are carrying, these charges are all false. CCI, as a non-profit, is purely and modestly supported by (Dutch!) individuals and is therefore not a US mouthpiece.
Pro-abortion organizations, on the other hand, receive buckets of government subsidies or money from international organizations, including the EU and UN, for its activities. As far as we are concerned, the government should stop this immediately, so that there is a level-playing field. Who is establishing a hate campaign here, is wealthy, and the voice of the Western subsidized pro-choice movement other than the one that is pointing fingers?
Henk Jan van Schothorst and Jan Schippers, Board of Directors and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the CCI Foundation.
An abridged version of the above appeared in the NRC on 27-05-2022: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2022/05/27/abortus-geen-mensenrecht-a4129351 and the picture below.
Translation of the article of Annemieke van Straalen (NRC, May 14 & 15):
Abortion also under fire in the Netherlands
The impending destruction of the federal right to abortion in the U.S. will give individual states the liberty to pass their own abortion laws. Conservative states will do everything in their power to dismantle abortion rights, resulting in the closure of 48 percent of American abortion clinics. These developments are by no means a distant prospect: In the Netherlands, too, the anti-abortion lobby would prefer to take the same course. The need to stand up for the protection of our fundamental right to self-determination is much greater than people think. The debate on abortion rights is hardening in the Netherlands. Visitors to abortion clinics are waited on, detained and threatened by anti-abortion demonstrators. The instigators of this hate campaign are well organized, influential and wealthy. So-called "pro-life" organizations such as the Transatlantic Christian Council (TCC) are the mouthpiece of the U.S. anti-abortion movement and propagate their right-wing conservative agenda worldwide behind seemingly innocent marketing pitches about "family values" and "family life”. In European countries like Poland and Hungary, organizations like the TCC are gaining a foothold. And thus also in the Netherlands: While in 2010 only 1,000 people joined the anti-abortion demonstration 'March for Life', in 2020 there were as many as 10,000. Moreover, part of our parliament, the SGP, FVD and ChristenUnie, sympathize with their ruthless rejection of the human right to abortion. In other words: The struggle of the Dolle Mina's half a century ago is proving to be as relevant as ever. The militancy of the "pro-choice" movement therefore remains enormous. Proposals have been submitted to the Senate to make abortion more accessible by abolishing the reflection period and by making the abortion pill available at the doctor's office. And 1,000 people gathered at the Dam Square in Amsterdam to protest for abortion rights. The permanent removal of abortion from the penal code, as already demanded by the Dolle Mina’s in the 1970s, is of highest importance on their activist agenda is . The current legal entrenchment means that abortion is essentially seen as a crime that can only be performed with ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’. That is why today, together with a coalition of partner organizations, we are launching a petition to change this for good. After decades, activists are once again climbing the barricades with the slogan "Baas In eigen Buik" (Boss in own body). Because: Our body, our choice.
Annemieke van Straalen
Initiator of 'Baas In Eigen Buik 2022' (in Dutch)
Source: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2022/05/14/abortus-abortus-ook-onder-vuur-in-nederland-a4124381 and the picture below.
