Señores Diputados Y Miembros De Las Asociaciones Provida De Europa

Ladies and gentlemen, and members of the pro-life associations of Europe:

I want to address you in representation of the associations Hazte Oír (Speak Out) and Derecho a Vivir (Right to live), two civic platforms working to raise sensitivity and social awareness on the value of human life and the need to take a step forward to defend it.

I would like to thank this Parliament for the chance it gives us to clarify the present situation in Spain regarding the human life defense, and the work actually we develop in that field.

At present, Spanish legislation leaves absolutely unprotected human life during its most vulnerable stages, especially during the pre-natal phase. Laws as the one regarding the assisted reproduction techniques and the research law, allow to create an unlimited number of human embryos in vitro, as well as their handling and freezing, attempting against their dignity as human beings and infringing the recent Judgment of the European Court of Justice, dated October 18th 2011. In addition, the creation of designer babies is allowed, as much as the embryos selection with eugenic purposes.
Today in Spain the Law looks upon abortion as a right of women and besides, eugenic abortion is permitted by law, making a severe discrimination on those human beings suffering from some disability.
Besides, in a context such as the Spanish one, with a very low birth rate and almost non-existent maternity support, thousands of euros coming from public sources are annually allocated to facilitate the practice of abortion.

From Hazte Oír and Derecho a Vivir we have worked on the scientific, legal and social fields to achieve that political leaders recognize the value of human life and do what it takes to protect it.
With regard to the scientific area, we have encouraged the Manifiesto of Madrid, signed by almost 3000 Spanish scientists, and we organize every year the Scientific Conferences gathering together experts in subjects as abortion and euthanasia.

Besides, we have created a network of gynecologists, Ginecólogos por el Derecho a Vivir (Gynecologists for the Right to Live), who have worked to protect the right to conscientious objection regarding to abortion or neonatal screening tests focused on eugenic abortion.

Speaking about the legal area, we have surrounded ourselves with an Advising Committee who has developed rigorous analyses about the unconstitutionality of the abortion law, or more recently, about sentences endorsing the defense of the embryo as a human being from the moment of conception.

We have organized several Marches for Life at national level, and we have created a network of local associations which work simultaneously with us throughout the national territory.
As a result of these years of work and effort, we have the recent statements from some members of our current government with the intention to approve a law to support maternity and to reform the present law to protect prenatal life. We have achieved Spanish citizens to stand in favour of protecting prenatal life in an increasing percentage every year.

We make all our best efforts to prevent abortion be considered a solution, and with this aim, we have design a new campaign called “Aborto cero”, that will move all the Spanish people again to get abortion disappearance from our legislation.

This year we have the honour to organize the VI World Congress of Families, which will appeal almost 3000 people and will gather together the most important worldwide pro-life and pro-family leaders. I want to take advantage of this chance to invite all those present to join us for this event.

We are aware that only with the strong commitment of citizens and their braveness to defend the right of life in all fields we will get the governments to legislate in favor of life, moving forward on the path of real progressivism, and that’s why from our associations will continue working intensively to achieve this goal.

Thank you very much in behalf of Hazte Oír and Derecho a Vivir.

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