Greens Demand Ban on Pro-Life Presentations at Schools
In April 2016, members of the Green Party in Austria submitted a Parliamentary Question to evaluate possible actions to stop “pro-life” workshops in religious education.
The debate started when the “Youth for Life” association ("Jugend für das Leben") was severely criticized in an Austrian news article and a blog post by feminist Viktoria Roth, who expressed deep regret that she could not stop the “fundamentalist young Catholics” because of their freedom of speech and assembly.
The Greens’ main criticisms are that students might associate themselves too closely with the adolescent presenters and that the speeches and displayed pictures, videos, and small, plastic fetus replicas were too emotionally disturbing and ‘manipulative’.
Parliamentarians claim that the group is showing ‘dangerous content’ in schools: specifically, that descriptive and detailed lectures could lead to a rejection of abortion. In their presentations, members of the group explain that the unborn child is a human being who deserves to be treated with love and dignity. They go on to discuss the consequences and options with the students. This concept has been successful and appreciated for 20 years.
Source: Kath.net and Parliamentary Question
