Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Doctors who perform abortions are "hired killers". Pope Francis made the statement in a conversation with journalists on the plane he returned to the Italian capital, Rome, after his visit to Belgium. The Belgian News Agency reported this from the Vatican News website, and the media in Brussels took an interest in this file and highlighted the Pope's statements in this regard, quoting him as saying, "Women have the right to life: their own lives and the lives of their children." "Abortion is murder, it kills a human being." And "Doctors who do this - allow me to use this word - are murderers." According to Pope Francis, "there is no possible discussion about this matter." He says that birth control methods are "something different." The Pope also expressed his opposition to abortion during his visit to Belgium. During a visit to the tomb of the late King Baudouin in the royal crypt in Laeken, the Pope praised the courage of the former Belgian monarch "for temporarily abdicating the throne so that he would not have to sign a deadly law." The deeply religious King Baudouin was prepared to abdicate in 1990 if he was forced to sign a bill legalizing abortion. According to the Nieuwsblad newspaper, while on the plane, Pope Francis returned to criticisms made by Belgium’s Walloon University of Leuven regarding the pontiff’s positions on women during a visit to the university. “Femininity speaks to us with a fruitful welcome, care and dedication to life,” the pope said at the time, a statement that the university in Leuven described as “a deterministic and simplistic position.” “This statement (from the university) was published at the time I was speaking. It was written in advance and it is not ethical,” the pope was quoted as saying on the plane en route to Rome. He also reiterated that the Church is feminine. "Women are equal to men. In the life of the Church, women are actually superior, because the Church is feminine. And "the feminine Church is greater than the priestly function".
Recall that two days ago, hundreds of people from various organizations marched from the center of Brussels to Schuman on Saturday afternoon as part of the World Day for Safe Abortion. They wanted to express their dissatisfaction with the rejection of the relaxation of the abortion law in the Belgian House of Representatives last Tuesday.
According to the police, there were 300 participants. According to organizations, including Gauche Anticapitaliste, Réseau ADES, Collective 8 March and others, there were at least a thousand demonstrators.
The World Day for Safe Abortion "is important to this day because all women have the right to a safe abortion". "Today, demonstrations are taking place all over the world. "We thought it was very important to participate in the demonstration in light of the political situation regarding abortion in our country," says Alessandra Monens, a participant in the event and a member of the United Feminist Front, the union of activist organizations and the denominator under which the demonstration continues.
"An insult"
According to Monens, what happened in parliament last Tuesday, namely the rejection of the government parties' softening of the abortion law, is an "insult" to women's rights organizations. "We are very angry that this vote took place (...). "When the government parties should take responsibility, they do not do it," Monens says firmly.

The organizations supporting the campaign demand that all women in the future be able to rely on the option of safe abortion, whether women with or without papers. The participants are demanding an extension of the abortion period and a reduction of the cooling-off period for women from six to two days. Furthermore, abortion clinics in Belgium should also be fully refinanced. "We want the abortion law to be softened," Monens concludes.