World's largest international pro-life, pro-family organization denounces EU "blackmail" of financially struggling nation

Contact: Stephen Phelan, Human Life International, 540-622-5270, SPhelan@hli.org

FRONT ROYAL, Va., Jan. 11, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Father Shenan J. Boquet, president of Human Life International, today called on Hungary's political leadership to stand strong against threats by the European Union to withhold financial aid if certain conditions were not met. The conditions, as reported by the Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet, were that the state must drop charges of corruption against its socialist former president, and it must drop a section in its new constitution which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. (See the story in Bloomberg here, WSJ here and the original story in Hungarian here.)
 
"This is blackmail, pure and simple. The EU essentially holds many of its member nations captive in a financially tenuous situation, then offers 'help' with conditions, even if those conditions are a grave offense to the culture and sovereignty of the nation," said Fr. Boquet. "This is only the beginning of Hungary's fight for its national sovereignty, for life and family."
 
The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, also issued a statement this week threatening to take action against Hungary because of its new constitution saying it is "committed to fully use all its powers to analyse the compatibility of [Hungary's] national law with EU law and reserves the right to take any steps that it deems appropriate, namely the possibility of launching infringement procedures pursuant to Article 258 of the [EU] Treaty."
 
"We want the people of Hungary, and especially their political leaders, to know how inspired many Americans and Christians around the world have been by their courageous efforts to stem the radical secular, anti-life, anti-family tide in Europe with the bold 'Easter constitution,'" said Fr. Boquet. "Recognizing that those nations who have embraced abortion and who have abandoned the traditional family are in a demographic tailspin, Hungarians have chosen another course: one of hope for the future. It is unconscionable that the unelected bureaucrats of the EU would force Hungary and other member nations to share in their slow suicide, rather than seeing the obvious need to reaffirm the only institution that gives them a future -- the traditional family." 
 
"This situation is reminiscent of last month's threats by Britain to remove financial aid from those African Nations who, like Hungary, realize what marriage truly is and defend it in their laws," said Fr. Boquet. "The anti-life, anti-family aggression of the Western powers is becoming more open every day, as they no longer see the need to hide their true intentions. The EU, and all the wealthy Western 'developed' nations must immediately stop this financial and legal coercion against sovereign nations who choose life instead of death."
 
About HLI: Human Life International: For the Glory of God and defense of Life, Faith and Family. Founded in 1981, HLI is the world's largest international pro-life and pro-family organization, with affiliates and associates in over 100 countries on six continents. www.hli.org