Vienna, Austria, Jul 10, 2008 / 13:23 pm
Human Life International is asking for prayers in response to the “vile attacks” in Vienna, Austria, against pro-life demonstrators by assailants who are being paid to harass them by the owners of abortion clinics. Pro-life demonstrators who are sidewalk counseling outside the clinics have been sexually assaulted, and some of the attacks have been captured on video.
According to HLI, the peaceful pro-life protestors are enduring “vile attacks and pressure tactics” solely for praying in front of the Gynmed abortion clinic run by Dr. Christian Fiala.
Fiala is president of the International Federation of Associated Abortion and Contraception Professionals and is one of the leading proponents of abortion in Europe.
He admitted to local reporters that “agents” had been hired to harass pro-lifers. “For defensive reasons I have contracted agents on repeated occasions to stop the activity of anti-abortion activists,” he recently told the Der Standard newspaper.
Father Phillip Reilly of the organization Helpers of God’s Precious Infants—which promotes peaceful protests outside abortion clinics—deplored the attacks, which he called “physical and sexual harassment that is truly immoral.”
HLI has asked Catholics around the world to pray for pro-lifers as police in Austria “have done nothing to detain these attacks against peaceful protesters.” The organization also asked for letters to be sent in English to Austrian officials.