The initiative promoted by Carlo Casini to give due dignity to the unborn, halted at the European Parliament, continues to bear fruit in support of the most fragile human life.
(Original text in Italian at www.avvenire.it)
‘One of us’ was one of the first European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECI) to be registered on 1 April 2012 on the ad hoc portal that had just been launched to host this new means of democracy designed to bring citizens closer to the EU institutions. At midnight on that day, Carlo Casini, together with others from the General Secretariat of the Italian Pro-Life Movement, submitted the initiative to protect the unborn child, to be considered, in fact, as “One of us”. It was Casini himself, then a Member of the European Parliament, who, as soon as the ICE was approved in the EU’s Lisbon Treaties (Article 11), had the prophetic insight to promote the first one, dedicating it to the legal protection of the dignity, right to life and integrity of every human being from conception.
The first ICE had to be about the unborn child, because that is where Europe originates. And so it was. Together with fellow MEPs such as Jaime Major Oreja, Miroslav Mikolasik and Ana Kovacova, Carlo Casini drafted the ECI bill, whose main objective was to end EU funding for activities involving human embryos, particularly in research, public health and development aid. The Citizens’ Committee was created during the “Week for Life” in the European Parliament in Brussels. It was March 2013. “One of Us” was registered on 11 May 2012, and the collection of signatures across Europe ended on 1 November 2013. Thanks in particular to Ana del Pino, long-time coordinator of “One of Us” – assisted by the author as coordinator – various EU associations joined the initiative (the first was “Schreeuw voor Leven” in the Netherlands).
A spontaneous and unexpected unity arose around the concept among people from all over Europe, associations, and people of different Christian denominations and religions. The signatures multiplied thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of many volunteers. At first, it seemed impossible to reach the enormous goal of one million signatures set by European rules for submitting the ICE, but it was greatly exceeded. A total of 1,897,588 signatures were collected (actually over two million, with 1,721,626 validated by the European offices), showing that it was possible to rediscover the Europe of its origins, which was able to remain united on values, particularly on human life from its beginning. With life, peace also became possible.
‘One of Us’ celebrated the achievement of its goal in Krakow on 14 and 15 November 2013: it was there that the ‘European Federation One of Us’ was born as an unplanned necessity, which surprised first and foremost the various European pro-life associations that felt deeply united in the name of the unborn child. Among the many personalities who spoke were Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz and Wanda Poltawska with her husband Andrej, all very close to St. John Paul II in the defence of life and the family. The first edition of the ‘One of Us for Life’ award (the legacy of the Movement for Life award dedicated to Mother Teresa) went to Wanda Poltawska.
The time came for the public hearing at the European Parliament on 10 April 2014, with a packed chamber. At the end of the Initiative’s journey, on 28 May 2014 (shortly before the end of the legislative term), the Commission declared that it would not be presenting a legislative proposal because the financing framework had recently been discussed and agreed upon by the Member States and the Parliament. It was a disappointment, but the Federation was there and was the visible fruit of the success of “One of Us”.
The European Federation “One of Us” for Life and Human Dignity was formally founded in September 2014, with its headquarters in Brussels. Since then, there has been a proliferation of cultural activities, conferences and projects, always of a high standard, in various parts of Europe (Paris, Valencia, Rome, Lisbon, Malta, Madrid, Krakow, Brussels…), with campaigns that have revived the spirit of the petition, marches for life, weeks at the European Parliament, the European Union’s Maternity Map, and the ‘Pregnant Crisis Alert’, a kind of European network to help mothers in crisis situations. And then there is the Cultural Platform, the Symphony of Life, the One of Us awards, the Forums, young people at World Youth Day, the exhibition of Saints for Life, the Observatory of Values…
Of particular note is the private audience of the Federation’s executive committee with Pope Francis on 18 May 2018. Bergoglio encouraged ‘One of Us’ to ‘fight for life and human dignity’. ‘Ours today,’ he added, ‘is a “culture of waste”, while fighting for life is fighting for a culture where every life is respected. Today, saying this seems like “Martian” language. Your job is to land this idea in a selective culture.’ Every life, Francis added, ‘should be respected and cared for with tenderness.’
Today, the mission of ‘One of Us’ – as stated on its institutional website http://www.oneofus.eu – is to “convey to the European institutions the field experience of its affiliated organisations, associations that every day, in every country, welcome and support women and men facing challenges related to family, pregnancy and life. The work of One of Us is based on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.‘ In particular, ’the name One of Us expresses the unique humanity we all share and which binds us indissolubly in a common destiny: to live. I am one of us, you are one of us, the embryo is one of us: we are united by our common humanity.‘ The Federation ’tirelessly reminds us that every life, simply because it is human, deserves protection from its very beginning. And that it is important.”
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