Poland calls on EU to include abortion and euthanasia as part of opposition to the death penalty

Brussels, Belgium, Sep 7, 2007 / 08:36 am

The government of Poland has asked the European Union to expand its opposition to the death penalty to include abortion and euthanasia.

"We don't think that the idea is reasonable because the death penalty is not a problem in Europe. There is no use to promote the law that is already in force in every European country," the spokesman for Polish foreign minister Ana Fotyga told the EUobserver.

Polish representatives told their fellow EU members that the idea of the "right to life" cannot be reduced to the death penalty problem alone.  Poland has said therefore it opposes establishing October 10 as European day against the death penalty

"We think that when anybody wants to discuss a problem of death in the context of the law it is also worth to discuss euthanasia and abortion in this context," Fotyga explained.

The EU Commission has rejected linking the issue of the death penalty to other issues related to the right to life.