European Parliament threatens to impose sanctions against Poland over pro-life legislation

The European Parliament has reportedly threatened to impose sanctions against Poland if the country's lawmakers approve a church-backed legislation that would ban abortions on handicapped fetuses.

According to Catholic Herald, the European Parliament warned that it would demand EU action if lawmakers went ahead with the new restrictions, which were supported by 830,000 Poles in a petition submitted to the Polish parliament's lower house on Nov. 30.

Polish church spokesman Fr. Pawel Rytel-Andrianik dismissed the EU threats, which have been denounced by some politicians as interference in the traditionally Catholic country.

"The Polish bishops' conference underlines that the right to life is fundamental to every human being, so we should all protect this right for defenseless children," Rytel-Andrianik said.

"Nobody can take this right away, nor can external or internal pressures change the scientifically proved fact that human life begins at the moment of conception," he added.

According to an article from the Population Research Institute, the European Parliament has approved a resolution that would launch a formal process to rebuke Poland for violating its obligations under the Treaty on European Union (TEU).

The resolution primarily addresses concerns about the independence of the judiciary, but it also warned Poland against considering a pro-life measure that would protect unborn children diagnosed with disabilities.

It also urged Poland to repeal a recent law that bans the over-the-counter sale of the morning-after pill without prescription. Before the law was signed by Polish President Andrzej Duda, girls as young as 15 were allowed to purchase the morning-after pill over the counter.

The resolution further called on Poland to provide free contraception to everyone at the taxpayer's expense, according to the Population Research Institute.

The European Parliament also condemned the Polish government's decision to cut off funding for liberal women's rights organizations, such as the pro-abortion group BABA Lubuskie Center for Women's Rights. Some left-leaning observers have expressed concern that funds that would have been given by previous administrations to pro-abortion groups have instead been awarded to Catholic organizations.

Rytel-Andrianik said that the threat of sanctions came during a "complex, changing situation" in Poland, following the resignation of Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo on Dec. 7.

Szydlo had expressed support for the pro-life legislation, which is expected to be introduced in the Parliament in early 2018. Rytel-Andrianik said that Poland's Catholic bishops would continue to support the new legislation.

"Our present law doesn't protect human life sufficiently; it allows the abortion of unborn children when they're supposed to be damaged or somehow imperfect, and in 90 percent of cases this refers to children with Down syndrome. If parents decide not to bring up a child, they can always pass the child up for adoption, especially when so many families are ready to care for them," the church spokesman said.