A new legislative proposal, by the French Minister for Families, Childhood and Rights of Women, aims to silence all dissenting pro-life opinions on the Internet, and it is now going to the French Senate for their approval.
Anyone who wants to disseminate information, for example, on aid for women who wish to keep their babies, or about the suffering that many women experience after an abortion, could be accused of deceiving women and threatened with a summons to court.
Not only that, but this new "offence" could potentially expose the defendant to a two-year prison sentence and a fine of 30,000 Euro.
Dear Fr.vidko,
On Wednesday, 7 December (TOMORROW!) the French Senate will vote on a hugely significant piece of legislation for France, and possibly, for the rest of Europe.
If passed, the legislation would negatively affect freedom of speech in France, and could influence other European legislatures, if similiar initiatives were to be proposed in other countries.
For this reason, our friends at the French organisation, Ensemble pour le Bien Commun (or, Together for the Common Good), launched this petition to the Minister responsible, seeking for the withdrawl of this Bill from the legislative process, and are now calling on the French Senate to reject this totalitarian piece of legislation.
And, because we view the wider implications with alarm, CitizenGO are happy to support Ensemble pour le Bien Commun, by broadening the petition to include an appeal to the Council of Europe's Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.
CitizenGO want to ensure that everyone in Europe knows what the French Government are doing in relation to free speech, and knows that it is wrongheaded.
Please sign this urgent petition, here:
http://www.citizengo.org/en/lf/39377-freedom-speech-french-pro-life-websites-under-attack-we-must-all-respond
Here is the vital information on the amendment to the Equality and Citizenship Bill:
The Minister of Families, Children and the Rights of Women, Mme Laurence Rossignol, put forward an amendment to the aforementioned Bill which has now passed the French National Assembly (the lower house of Parliament).
The intention of introducing this amendment was to make it more difficult for pro-life websites to operate in France.
Already in France, "obstructing" abortion at hospitals or abortion clinics, simply by distributing pro-life information, is punishable by two years' imprisonment and a fine of €30,000. This is bad enough.
But, now, with the Minister's new amendment, this "offence" would incredibly be extended to websites which, in the Minister's Orwellian newspeak, carry "a distorted presentation, to mislead, for a dissuasive purpose, on the nature and consequences of an abortion".
So, in other words: if a French pro-life website were to dissuade a woman from seeking an abortion, by telling the truth about abortion, or by offering her assistance, the pro-life organisation could be hit with a massive fine or jail time, or both.
This is outrageous, and must be opposed! Please SIGN now:
http://www.citizengo.org/en/lf/39377-freedom-speech-french-pro-life-websites-under-attack-we-must-all-respond
Religious and other, more rational political forces are also opposed to this proposal.
French Cardinal, André Armand Vingt-Trois, has also denounced the amendment as, "the dictatorship of a totalitarian vision on abortion". And, Jean-Frédéric Poisson, President of the PCD (French Christian-Democratic Party), has said that, with such proposals, "totalitarianism is on the march! ".
Join in the chorus of right-minded and level-headed people who are rejecting this anti-democratic nonsense.
Thank you for signing NOW...Tomorrow the French Senate vote on this matter! So, it's very urgent!
http://www.citizengo.org/en/lf/39377-freedom-speech-french-pro-life-websites-under-attack-we-must-all-respond
We must now press the French Senate to reject this Bill and attached amendment, and we must make it known, to the MPs in the Council of Europe, that this type of proposal is not only unacceptable in France, but unacceptable everywhere in Europe.
This is your opportunity to react.
Thank you for standing for Life!
Yours faithfully,
Scott Schittl and the whole team at CitizenGO
PS - Please don't let your opportunity to react pass by without doing something! Please sign the petition to help preserve both French and European democracy. Thank you!
Anyone who wants to disseminate information, for example, on aid for women who wish to keep their babies, or about the suffering that many women experience after an abortion, could be accused of deceiving women and threatened with a summons to court.
Not only that, but this new "offence" could potentially expose the defendant to a two-year prison sentence and a fine of 30,000 Euro.
This is an unprecedented attack on freedom of expression and information, the primary basis of any democratic society...and, if allowed to pass, could have wider implications in Europe.
Therefore, by signing this petiton, we not only stand with our fellow, freedom-loving French men and women, but we also firmly reject the totalitarian ideas of censorship and eugenics.
We now call on the French Senate to emphatically reject this dangerous piece of legislation.
Thank you for signing!
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On Wednesday, 7 December (TOMORROW!) the French Senate will vote on a hugely significant piece of legislation for France, and possibly, for the rest of Europe.
If passed, the legislation would negatively affect freedom of speech in France, and could influence other European legislatures, if similiar initiatives were to be proposed in other countries.
For this reason, our friends at the French organisation, Ensemble pour le Bien Commun (or, Together for the Common Good), launched this petition to the Minister responsible, seeking for the withdrawl of this Bill from the legislative process, and are now calling on the French Senate to reject this totalitarian piece of legislation.
And, because we view the wider implications with alarm, CitizenGO are happy to support Ensemble pour le Bien Commun, by broadening the petition to include an appeal to the Council of Europe's Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.
CitizenGO want to ensure that everyone in Europe knows what the French Government are doing in relation to free speech, and knows that it is wrongheaded.
Please sign this urgent petition, here:
http://www.citizengo.org/en/lf/39377-freedom-speech-french-pro-life-websites-under-attack-we-must-all-respond
Here is the vital information on the amendment to the Equality and Citizenship Bill:
The Minister of Families, Children and the Rights of Women, Mme Laurence Rossignol, put forward an amendment to the aforementioned Bill which has now passed the French National Assembly (the lower house of Parliament).
The intention of introducing this amendment was to make it more difficult for pro-life websites to operate in France.
Already in France, "obstructing" abortion at hospitals or abortion clinics, simply by distributing pro-life information, is punishable by two years' imprisonment and a fine of €30,000. This is bad enough.
But, now, with the Minister's new amendment, this "offence" would incredibly be extended to websites which, in the Minister's Orwellian newspeak, carry "a distorted presentation, to mislead, for a dissuasive purpose, on the nature and consequences of an abortion".
So, in other words: if a French pro-life website were to dissuade a woman from seeking an abortion, by telling the truth about abortion, or by offering her assistance, the pro-life organisation could be hit with a massive fine or jail time, or both.
This is outrageous, and must be opposed! Please SIGN now:
http://www.citizengo.org/en/lf/39377-freedom-speech-french-pro-life-websites-under-attack-we-must-all-respond
Religious and other, more rational political forces are also opposed to this proposal.
French Cardinal, André Armand Vingt-Trois, has also denounced the amendment as, "the dictatorship of a totalitarian vision on abortion". And, Jean-Frédéric Poisson, President of the PCD (French Christian-Democratic Party), has said that, with such proposals, "totalitarianism is on the march! ".
Join in the chorus of right-minded and level-headed people who are rejecting this anti-democratic nonsense.
Thank you for signing NOW...Tomorrow the French Senate vote on this matter! So, it's very urgent!
http://www.citizengo.org/en/lf/39377-freedom-speech-french-pro-life-websites-under-attack-we-must-all-respond
We must now press the French Senate to reject this Bill and attached amendment, and we must make it known, to the MPs in the Council of Europe, that this type of proposal is not only unacceptable in France, but unacceptable everywhere in Europe.
This is your opportunity to react.
Thank you for standing for Life!
Yours faithfully,
Scott Schittl and the whole team at CitizenGO
PS - Please don't let your opportunity to react pass by without doing something! Please sign the petition to help preserve both French and European democracy. Thank you!
