Pro-Life Activists Continuously Attacked
Pro-Life activists continuously suffer attacks from radical groups, including physical attacks and property damages; as well as negative stereotyping by the media; and an infringement on freedom of assembly and expression by a ban mile.
For the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council, two German pro-life organisations submitted complaints about Germany. The organisation "Kostbare Kinder" - "Precious Children" submitted a complaint about infringements on Freedom of Assembly and Expression, as well as negative stereotyping. Please find in Italics their own words (excerpts of their open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights):"Violent acts against our Life-Center in Munich and Infringements of Freedom of Assembly and Expression by the city Governments of Freiburg and Munich
In Freiburg, the Agency for Public Order restricted access around the entrance area of “pro familia” (an organisation which offers pregnancy conflict counseling including the option of abortion – the organisation has its own abortion-clinics) for counsellors of our association. The city of Freiburg reacted on a media-campaign (initiated by “pro familia”) of two newspapers and a TV-Channel. In all three of them, we had no chance to express our position.
We are facing similar difficulties in Munich, proceedings are currently going on in administrational courts. In addressing women in conflict in front of an abortion clinic (side-walk counselling, „Gehsteigberatung“) or in front of pro-abortion counselling centers, the Agencies for Public Order see a threat of the womens’ privacy and rights. In the city of Freiburg pro-life activists therefore faced a fine of 250 €. In Munich we are supposed to pay 1.500 € only for showing a picture of a 12 weeks old embryo with the message “six months before birth” (see the attached photo) on a public sidewalk in front of an abortion-clinic.
Four times the windows of our life-center have been destroyed since October 2008. And very often the walls have been scrawled with left radical and/or blasphemic paroles.
In our thirteen years of side-walk counseling, we haven’t done anything wrong or illegal. This fact is confirmed by more than a hundred women and by the law-court process of the abortion doctor against our life-center in 2006, which he lost clearly. Until today there never was a complaint of a woman at the police or at an agency of the public order.
The police of Munich confirms that our conduct always has been and still is impeccable.
In Germany abortion continues to be an illegal action though not punished under certain circumstances. Not to be able to manifest one's convictions by peaceful demonstration or speaking kindly and respectfully to strangers, is a violation of freedom of expression, which indirectly discriminates especially against Christians, as the issue is of particular concern not only but especially to Christians.
Negative Stereotyping of Pro-Life Activists in the Media
In the state-sponsored ARD, a television channel under public law, a short film about our work was aired. Several indicators prove that this was a slamming attack to make our work impossible:
• No woman who was happy about the survival of her child had the possibility to speak to the TV team. We offered this, but the TV team did not show any interest.
• No woman who suffered or suffers from an abortion, could speak with the TV team. We offered this to the TV team, but they had no interest.
• We told them about several cases in which the women received solidarity and real help from us; we handed over written testimonies of thankful and happy mothers including baby-photos to the reporter Tim Fugmann - you didn’t see or hear anything about that in the film.
• The moderator of the telecast introduced us as people, who “harass and threaten” women and doctors. But in the film itself neither the abortion doctor nor his patients said anything about threatening or the like.
By this and other examples it became very clear for us that the makers of the report created wrong “facts” on purpose and transferred these to their viewers. There was no balanced coverage at all (which our constitution and the German Broadcasting Law directs especially for media under public law), but a virulent campaign."
Link to the organisation:www.kostbare-kinder.de
Please view photos in the materials provided by the organisation here:
Münster
Munich Manifestation
Munich Office
Salzburg