SW News: In light of the resolution passed by the European Parliament on Thursday, November 26, 2020, criticizing the ban on abortion in Poland, Chairman of the Polish Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki published a statement saying that the right to life is a fundamental human right and it always has priority over the right to choose.

The resolution adopted by the European Parliament makes reference to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The archbishop noted that Article 2, paragraph 1 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights states that, “everyone has the right to life.”

In the statement, he recalled the words of Pope John Paul II, who stated that the measure of a civilization is its “attitude to life.” “A civilization that rejects the defenseless deserves to be called barbaric. Even if it had great economic, technical, artistic and scientific achievements,” Pope John Paul II had said.

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki pointed out that the resolution is deceptive as there is nothing such as the “right to abortion” in the light of ethics and international law. He further stated that, “talking about the so-called legal compromise on the protection of life is a falsification of reality because it ignores the most important, third party to the dispute, i.e.unborn children and their inalienable right to life.”

“Any compromise on this issue is tantamount to taking away the fundamental right to life of some children and the brutal application of the death penalty, which, let us recall, is also prohibited by the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Therefore, there can be no compromise in this respect,” he added.

The archbishop acknowledged that those who defend life often face “aggression and contempt.” He thanked all those “life defenders” who stand to protect life in all its stages. He also expressed his gratitude to all pro-life movements who organize, help and support expectant mothers.