Toward a new European Union

Europe: A Polish lawmaker wants to build “a moral architecture” out of small, mostly pro-life states | Alisa Harris

Just before Irish voters dealt the European Union (EU) a feisty blow by rejecting the Lisbon Treaty on June 13, the European Parliament's small pro-life faction landed another jab that sent the same message: There is a limit to how much sovereignty certain countries are willing to cede.

Prompted by Polish pro-life leader Konrad Szymanski, 100 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sent a letter to Lithuanian Speaker CŠeslovas JursŠeÝnas in response to recent MEP pressure to reject pro-life legislation. The letter welcomes Lithuania's efforts to protect "children prior to birth" and it tersely clarifies Lithuania's international obligations: "There is no conflict between either European law or political commitments arising from European integration and legislative measures aimed at providing better legal protection for unborn children."