French govt may ban pro-life websites

Dec 6, 2016 by

by Chiara Bertoglio, MercatorNet:

Can you be neither “pro-life” nor “pro-choice”? So it seems, at least in France, where the idea that a “choice” should involve at least two options is becoming increasingly controversial. A recent article on MercatorNet discussed the absurd censorship of a heart-warming video which shows the many abilities of people with Down syndrome and their possibility of giving and receiving love and living happy and fulfilled lives.

“Oh là là”, says the French TV: to broadcast the smiles of people with Down syndrome is intolerable, as it might create remorse and feelings of guilt in the women who decided to abort their children with Down syndrome.

Now it’s the turn of pro-life websites, which are under threat of being shut down by State laws. On December 1, a majority of the French Assemblée nationale voted in favour of a bill which would extend the definition of the criminal offence of “hindrance to abortion” to include pro-life websites. The draft will be examined by the Senate tomorrow, and might be finally approved by the end of February.

The bill was proposed by Minister Laurence Rossignol, who maintained that the offending websites are misleading, since they look too similar to official websites and refer to telephone hotlines which provide advice to pregnant women and encourage them not to interrupt their pregnancy.

The Republican Party and the Right contend that the bill poses serious threats to freedom of expression and of speech.

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