The following news release was issued today, Sept. 5, 2013.
HELSINKI, Finland—Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Global Outreach Director Scott Fischbach and Finland's Interior Minister Dr. Paivi Rasanen met today in the Finnish Parliament House. The leaders discussed abortion in Finland and Minnesota as well as fetal pain and the detrimental effects of abortion on women's health.
Earlier this summer Dr. Rasanen, who is also head of the Christian Democratic Party in Finland, caused a stir in Europe when she boldly used a speech at a Lutheran Church conference to call for a discussion on abortion in her country. In her speech she highlighted the fact that Finland and Sweden are the only two western European countries that do not allow health care workers the right to refuse to participate in an abortion. Dr. Rasanen also noted that Finnish law provides that animals must be slaughtered painlessly, but unborn human beings have no protections from the excruciating pain of an abortion.
Nearly a quarter of all Minnesotans can trace Finnish ancestry in their heritage and 23 percent are Lutherans in faith.
"It is a real honor to meet with the Interior Minister of Finland today," Fischbach stated. "Her courage to speak out for the unborn from the highest levels of government is very noble. Igniting a national conversation about abortion and keeping the human rights cause of life in front of the people is a tremendous victory!"
MCCL Global Outreach (MCCL GO) works with myriad life-affirming groups on every continent reaching into faith communities and secular society with a human rights message of equality and respect for all human beings.
MCCL GO is a pro-life NGO global outreach program of the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Education Fund with one goal: to save as many innocent lives as possible from the destruction of abortion. Learn more at www.mccl-go.org.
