What does One of Us want?
The “One of Us” citizens’ initiative aims at imposing the protection of the “dignity” and “integrity” of the human embryo throughout Europe, by stating that the embryo is “one of us”. With the ultimate aim of forbidding abortion in Europe.
The ethical conception and the “protection” of the human embryo are not of EU competence. The “One of us” organisers therefore found two indirect ways to impose their restrictive agenda by proposing to halt all EU funds for activities involving the destruction of the human embryo in two areas: research and development aid.
On human embryonic stem cell research
One of Us calls on the EU to stop funding research activities that destroy human embryos, including those aimed at obtaining stem cells, and – larger – research involving the use of human embryonic stem cells (hESC).
On development aid and SRHR
The initiative requests that the assistance of the European Union should not be used to fund abortion, directly or indirectly, through the funding of organisations that “encourage or promote abortion”. This could negatively affect a whole range of sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes and services. One of Us indeed wishes to de-fund aid agencies that provide abortions or advice that might lead to abortions. But these are the same agencies that provide a much wider range of essential maternal health services such as family planning, pre-natal healthcare, etc.