REALity Volume XXXV Issue No. 12 December 2016
Something is stirring in Eastern Europe which is changing the outlook of several nations in regard to life and family issues.
Countries such as Hungary, Poland, Georgia and Lithuania had all been under the control of the Soviet Union until the 1990’s. Despite the fall of the Berlin Wall, the political landscapes in their first free elections were dominated largely by the political elites of the communist party that had previously run their countries. With independence, these former communists simply re-named themselves as the Social Democratic Party. This renaming of the communists didn’t change their anti-life/family policies.
Recently, however, many of these Eastern European countries, deeply cherishing their freedoms, are raising objections to the pressure being placed on them from bureaucrats of the European Union (EU), to incorporate the EU’s anti-life/family policies into their national life, just as the Soviet Union had previously done.
In order to protect themselves from these EU anti-life/family policies, the voters in these countries have thrown out of power their former political left-leaning political parties and have voted in new governments that are willing to resist anti-life/family pressures and uphold policies that are in the national, family and patriotic interest.
For example:
POLAND
In 2015, the Conservative political party in Poland called “Law and Justice Party”, won an absolute majority. This caused the eclipse of the socialist parties in Poland which had sympathized with feminists and had discouraged pro-life initiatives. The current abortion law in Poland provides that abortion is legal when a doctor believes the baby has a severe and irreversible handicap, or an incurable and life-threatening disease. Further, when the woman’s life and health are in danger, there are no legal limits as to when abortion can be performed.
The above law led to a citizen’s initiative in the form of a petition of half a million signatures requesting legislation to ban all abortions.
However, a group of radical feminists, linked to the former government, and funded by American billionaire George Soros, began a wave of protests in major cities in Poland. As well, pressure was exerted on the Polish government by the EU to reject the abortion ban.
The feminists’ extreme policies did not find sympathy with the majority of Polish women. The protesters’ anti-religion slogan “‘No’ to church interference in politics”, was particularly offensive to them. The feminist demands drew only 2,500 signatures on their petition.
Some of the leaders of this feminist organization had worked for the former government, and it appears that their purpose was also to overturn the Law and Justice Party.
The Polish government has recently announced several bills aiming to help families with special needs children, and women with crisis pregnancies. The government has also expressed special concern about abortions that are being performed to eliminate babies with Down syndrome. Hopefully, the government will soon pass legislation banning all abortions, as requested by the Polish people.
HUNGARY
The Conservative government under Prime Minister Viktor Orban was elected in 2010. It publicly encourages women to give birth. The government helps arrange adoptions, gives aid to families, encourages religious education, and facilitates ethics courses in the public education system. The constitution of Hungary enacted in 2011, states explicitly that human life will be protected from the moment of conception. Also, in 2011 the government initiated a pro-life campaign placing posters at Hungary’s bus stops with the image of a baby in the womb, saying, “I understand that you are not yet ready for me, but give me up to the adoption agency, LET ME LIVE!” The EU criticized Prime Minister Orban for supposedly using EU money to fund this campaign which it claimed was against “European values”. It demanded that the funds be returned. The Hungarian government has ignored the EU. As a result of his pro-life/family policies, the abortion rate in Hungary dropped by 23% between 2010 and 2015. In the first quarter of 2016, abortions fell again by over 4%.
LITHUANIA
On October 23, 2016 an election was held in Lithuania which gave an absolute victory to the Peasant-Green Union. Although this party had a more left-wing economic agenda, unlike other western Green parties, the Peasant-Green party in Lithuania is socially conservative especially on moral issues. Family life, patriotism and social justice are its key policies. The party opposes the previous government’s attempt to pass the homosexual partnership law and promotion of abortion.
GEORGIA
An election was held in Georgia on October 31, 2016. This country was a former member of the Soviet Union and is a now, with this election, a beacon of democracy in the former Soviet region. The party elected in October with a super majority is called: “The Georgian Dream Party”. This party promotes the family and is pro-life, and plans to bring forward policies supporting these objectives with the popular support of the people.
We do not always know what the future holds, but we do know that many central-Eastern European nations now have strong morally right-wing positions on social issues.These countries can only look to the degeneracy and despondency of the people living in the West to know they are in the right place.
REALity Volume XXXV Issue No. 12 December 2016