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Religion & Liberty Online

The EU shuts citizens out of abortion funding policy

by Rev. Ben Johnson • August 15, 2019

When nations rejected the European Union out of fear it would not be accountable to EU citizens, politicians unveiled a new proposal: a citizens’ initiative known as the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). When a broad cross-section of EU citizens support an issue, they can bring it to politicians’ attention through a successful ECI – unless those politicians ignore it, as the European Council just did to an ECI intended to rein in EU spending on controversial causes.

Roger Kiska analyzes the transnational governing body’s democracy deficit in a new essay for Religion & Liberty Transatlantic. Kiska – who is co-counsel for the “One of Us” Federation – writes of their efforts to end the funding of abortion and research that results in the destruction of a human embryo.

“The ‘One of Us’ case presents a myriad of legal and ethical issues which include questions about the democratic legitimacy of the EU, subsidiarity, the rule of law, and principles of natural law,” he writes.

“What value does the ECI have if citizens can only hope to have their successful ECI’s introduced as legislative proposals if those proposals are already in line with something the Commission would propose on its own accord?” he asks.

You can read his full essay here.

(Photo credit: European Council.)

 

Rev. Ben Johnson

Rev. Ben Johnson

Rev. Ben Johnson is an Eastern Orthodox priest and served as executive editor of the Acton Institute from 2016 to 2021. His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including National Review, the American Spectator, The Guardian, National Catholic Register, Providence, Jewish World Review, Human Events, and the American Orthodox Institute. His personal websites are therightswriter.com and RevBenJohnson.com. You can find him on X: @therightswriter.

Posted in Civic Engagement, Government, TransatlanticTagged abortion, embryonic stem cells, european union, transatlantic

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