By Condemning the Supreme Court’s Expected Overturning of Roe, the European Parliament Condemns Itself
Even though the Supreme Court has not yet released its decision to overturn Roe v Wade, the European Union’s Parliament decided to pass a resolution condemning the expected decision. The vote was 364 to 154 (37 abstentions) and was intended to “remind” the United States that it is “vital” to uphold Roe v Wade. In so doing, the European Parliament condemned itself, sticking its nose where it did not belong while standing against the rights of innocent babies in the womb.
This, of course, is no surprise, given the degree to which most of Europe has become post-Christian.
As noted in a 2018 article in The Guardian, “Europe’s march towards a post-Christian society has been starkly illustrated by research showing a majority of young people in a dozen countries do not follow a religion.
“The survey of 16- to 29-year-olds found the Czech Republic is the least religious country in Europe, with 91% of that age group saying they have no religious affiliation. Between 70% and 80% of young adults in Estonia, Sweden and the Netherlands also categorise themselves as non-religious.”
In the U.K., where The Guardian is based, 70% of young people identify with no religion and 59% never attend religious services.
In the words of theology and religion professor Stephen Bullivant, “Christianity as a default, as a norm, is gone, and probably gone for good—or at least for the next 100 years.” (I would add that this would be true barring a fresh wave of revival; it is not a fait accompli.)
Not only so, but in much of Europe, where there is a profession of Christian faith, especially among the older generation, it is often so mired with either dead tradition or progressive liberalism that it is hardly Christian at all. (This is my own observation, not that of The Guardian.)
That means that, despite the rapid rise of the “nones” in America (speaking of those with no religious affiliation), we still have many more robust, Bible-believing Christians than does Europe. That’s why we continue to fight for the life of the unborn and continue to stand against LGBTQ extremism. And that’s why these European lawmakers felt the need to condemn the court’s expected pro-life ruling.
To quote them directly, the “MEPs [members of the European Parliament] condemn the backsliding in women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide including in the U.S. and some EU countries, calling for safe access to abortion.”
In the words of Croatian socialist MEP Predrag Matić, “The draft opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States is a shock and a nightmare.”
The resolution even condemned those states that have passed bills to protect pro-life legislation, such as bills banning abortion after six weeks.
All of this leads me to ask the European Parliament: Who asked you for your opinion? Who appointed you the judge of America? And who put you in charge of the decisions of our individual states?
As expressed by German MEP Christine Anderson, a right-wing lawmaker who voted against the resolution: “The USA is no longer a colony ruled from Europe. Didn’t you know that?”
Well said!
Is it any surprise, then, that a growing number of European leaders have no children themselves? Is this unrelated to the decline of a Christian culture that esteems life and regards children as a gift from God?
A 2017 article by Darrell Delamaide asked the question, “Do childless leaders mean the death of Europe?”
He wrote:
The election of Emmanuel Macron as the new French president now means that the leaders of the four European countries in the G-7 biggest economies—Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Theresa May, and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni—are all childless.
Other prominent European leaders also have no children—Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Does this mean anything?
Those calling attention to it seem to think so. George Weigel, writing this week in the First Things website, talks of “Catholic Lite and Europe’s demographic suicide.” Earlier this month, James McPherson headlined his commentary in the Washington Examiner “Emmanuel Macron and the barren elite of a changing continent.” And late last month, even before Macron’s victory, Britain’s Sunday Times carried a long book excerpt by Douglas Murray with the title “Europe signs its own death warrant.“
While Delamaide himself downplayed these concerns, I agree with those who have drawn attention to the increased childlessness of many European leaders.
Without children of their own, they can hardly grasp the full significance of bringing a child into this world. Without the gospel, they can hardly grasp the importance of fighting for the life of that child while it is still in the womb. And with a declining birth rate, well under the 2.1 rate needed to sustain a society, Europe will continue to decline, not just spiritually and morally, but in numbers as well.
May a culture of life, based on biblical principles, rise again in Europe!
Dr. Michael Brown (askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is The Silencing of the Lambs: The Ominous Rise of Cancel Culture and How We Can Overcome It. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
