BRUSSELS

MARCH FOR LIFE24^TH OF APRIL 2022 14h00

by One of Us news

STARTING POINT OF THE MARCH: Mont des Arts

MORE INFO HERE:  

JOIN THE MARCH FOR LIFE TO PROTECT AND DEFEND LIFE AND HUMAN DIGNITY FROM CONCEPTION TO NATURAL DEATH

CONTEXT OF THE MARCH: EUTHANASIA AND ABORTION

Next May it will have been 20 years since euthanasia was legalized in Belgium. Since then, 24.522 persons died by euthanasia acts. Euthanasia has been legalized for minors and some politicians are talking about extending it to people unable to express their will. The dignity of the elderly, the people suffering from dementia, depression, the disabled or sick people is consistently violated. These past few years it has also become evident that the evaluation committee for euthanasia has not properly filled its function and that the concept of mental distress is increasingly vaguer. For that reason, some psychiatrists are asking to ban euthanasia in case of mental suffering.

In this context the Belgium March for Life is celebrating the annual March asking:

• To reform the evaluation committee to allow an actual control over the euthanasia performed (for example, preventing members of the committee performing euthanasia from reviewing their own patients, which is not currently the case). In the same spirit, we ask for the three-third majority votes needed to transfer a case to the public prosecutor’s office to be brought down to a one-third ratio.
• To ban euthanasia in case of mental distress because measuring whether a psychological suffering is incurable, overwhelming, or unalterable seems impossible. We also request a better and real patient care for those battling against this affliction.
• To outright reject any idea of euthanasia for people suffering from dementia, because they are not able to express a real consent and we can’t be the ones determining for them the value of their life.
• To focus on palliative care as a more humane option; to really support and care for those who suffer; to review the status of support service jobs to help building a future where human dignity is respected.

On January 19^th 2022, French President, Emmanuel Macron asked for “the right to abortion” to be written in the Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union, presenting it as a “European value”.

The March for Life along with CLARA Life and the European Federation One of Us asks:

• That the EU remains within the framework of its jurisdiction and respect national sovereignty in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. Abortion regulations remain under the sole jurisdiction of the EU Member States

• That the EU abandons any project of including abortion as a right in the Charter of fundamental rights, knowing there can’t be a “fundamental right to abortion” since it goes against the internationally recognized right to life.

• That the EU, if the issue of abortion needs to be addressed, favours actual answers, real alternatives to abortion (material assistance, in-house day-care at work, a true sexual health education, …) so both the unborn child and mother are protected and cared for.