'Pro-Life' - Activist Frank Pavone: Tea-Party is the 'Home' of Defending Life

Famous Pro-Life Priest in a press conference in Vienna: the principle goal of the movement remains, in any case, to make abortion legally unallowable. 

Vienna (kath.net/KAP)  An insight in the engagement of the US-American "Pro-Life" - movement was given by activist and President of "Priests for Life" - initiative, Frank Pavone this Thursday in Vienna.  The principle goal of the movement remains in any case, to make abortion legally unallowable, said Pavone during an encounter with a journalist.  The movement also has in any case to raise consciousness in the population:  "We want to make abortion unthinkable."  He could himself "not imagine a situation, in which abortion [were] a solution to a problem",  says the priest. That does not indicate that there will be a denial of the obligation to care for every woman, who has undergone an abortion and been traumatized.

Pavone has come to Vienna on the invitation of Cardinal Schönborn and "International Technical Institute" (ITI). The purpose of his visit is the comprehensive concern of the Pro-Life movement, which has more than 300,000 activists and thousands of action groups, to make it more well-known in Austria" and the strengthen the Church as well, which will be a consequence of protecting life," says Pavone.  Concrete steps for instance will be in the founding of Austria's own "Priests-For-Life" group and a spiritual center for the care of women traumatized by abortion.

A legal no to abortion does not aim to, "touch a woman's rights to be free", said Pavone.  It is much more through the demonstration of alternatives in the face of an abortion in the foreground to facilitate her decision not to abort. The actual liberal legal situation does not allow freedom, rather immediately removes the freedom of the woman because of erroneous information and advice.

As the question for the legal punishment Pavone said, it is the goal of the movement, to fine and punish Doctors who perform abortions.  Women on the other hand, who have procured an abortion, will not be punished, as these are "already in prison" in a figurative sense and at the most must suffer the psychological and physical consequences of such an attack.

Critic of Obama's Healthcare Policies

Pavone has been critical of the health care policies of US President Brack Obama.  He holds to the liberal position on abortion and strengthens it,  for instance through the "Supreme Court" replacement of American justice with personal choice.  Under Obama "a lot has been changed", says Pavone regarding the introduction of Universal Health Insurance.  This is not per se bad, he foresaw -- like the American Catholic Bishops -- but there is the danger that in the coming foreseeable State provisions of government funds could be used for abortion.

The Obama-Politic is favorable declares Pavone that the people are increasingly motivated to be strengthened by the themes of the Pro-Life movement.  So, the "Tea Party" is also a movement which serves as a reservoir for a wide circle of the Pro-Life movement.  It is also that the there are "countless overlaps", even as the "Tea Party" at the most recent "Mid-term" - vote put the focus on the social questions, says Pavone. Principally, the "Pro-Life" movement is therefore "at home with the Republicans".

Despite his critique of Obama's politics, he sees the USA  though "on the right way in the direction toward our goals", said Pavone finally with great conviction.  So there is consequently legal proposals which is aimed to the protection of the child in the mother's body and to advise women about a possible abortion.  If one advised women over the health risks of an abortion, for example the danger of cancer formation, sterility etc., then the numbers would sink, according to Pavone's expectation.

No to Embryonic Stem Cell Research

The movement takes a clear position on the area of bioethics.  They pronounce an emphatic "no" to every form of embryonic stem cell research, which will result in the death of the embryo with this kind of research.  In place of this the "Pro-Life" position is for the use of adult stem cell research - found consequently from umbilical cord  blood.  This is morally permissible and is also even more promising of success.

There is support for the movement, says Pavone, in all religious communities --from the Catholic to the Protestant, Evangelical to the Baptists, Methodists, Judaism and Islam.  For this reason  the supporters from Judaism or Islam, however, are infrequently in the public, that the "Pro-Life - movement is conceived as a Christian movement.  His goal is then also not to unite these Pro-Life voices, rather to strengthen them, for the theme of defending life is part of any respective religion and to give each and every one his own voice.

Pavone is also accompanied on his visit to Austria among others, by the foundress of the "Pro-Life" associated help organization for traumatized women, "Rache's Vineyard", Theresa Burke, as well as Janet Morana of the "Silent no more awareness" campaign.

Read original German, kath.net...