wfn.org | German Churches' Nation-wide Campaign to Defend Life

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

Call for Renewed Discussion on Abortion Rights

ERFURT, Germany/GENEVA, 19 April 2002 (LWI/epd) - Protestants and
Roman Catholics in Germany are calling for a new discussion on
current abortion rights.

Launching the "Week for Life," the Council chairperson of the
Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), Prdses Manfred Kock, and the
president of the German Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference, Karl
Cardinal Lehmann declared their support for the human embryo's
right to life and to protection, beginning at conception.

In view of a rising trend in the number of terminated pregnancies,
the EKD president said the revised Paragraph 218 of German
criminal law must be reviewed within 10 years of its 1995
enactment to see whether the goal of increased protection of the
right to life had been achieved. The national "Week for Life" is
the churches' campaign for the protection of human life, through
which they especially want to point out the risks involved in
modern genetic engineering.

Kock and Lehmann opened the Roman Catholic and Protestant
churches' joint campaign April 13 with an ecumenical worship
service in Erfurt cathedral. With the motto "From the beginning,
choose life - don't select it!" the churches are organising until
April 20 numerous events aimed at promoting a responsible approach
to new forms of genetic engineering.

Both church leaders warned against the dangers of modern medical
technology, which increasingly puts embryonic life at the
discretion of human beings. Lehmann reaffirmed his support for a
general ban on pre-implantation diagnostics in Germany. He
criticised the definition of a human being underlying the
technology which leaves no room for people "who are different from
the so-called normal."

They expressed "regret" for last January's decision by the German
Parliament permitting research on embryonic stem cells. They
cautioned against further legislation that would "soften" the
strict limits imposed on stem cell importation. Kock pointed out
that this is a sensitive ethical issue that puts the credibility
of the legislative body and of individual politicians at stake "in
a significant way."

Initiated by the Roman Catholics, the first "Week for Life" was
held in 1991. Protestants have participated in the nation-wide
events since 1994. Germany's population of over 80 million people
comprises an equal representation, around 33 percent, of
Protestants and Roman Catholics. The EKD brings together 24
Lutheran, United and Reformed churches.

(From a Protestant news service -
 Evangelischer Pressedienst (epd) report)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
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