13 November saw the three-hour, joint three-committee grilling of Tonio Borg, the current Maltese Foreign Minister and nominee for the position of European Commissioner for Health and Consumer policy. Such appointments should always be based on the pursuit of excellence. But disturbingly, Mr. Borg’s appointment looks dangerously close to being rejected, because of principles the aspirant Commissioner holds arising out of his deeply held Christian beliefs.
A cabal of extremist secular and militant LBGT activists seek to veto the appointment, based not on Mr. Borg’s relative talent (which is considerable) but because he, like millions of other Europeans, is opposed to abortion.
This subversive attack goes against the very nature of the European Union. The Code of Conduct for Commissioners codifies the right to maintain personal opinions and beliefs; “This rule is without prejudice to the right of Commissioner to express their personal opinions.”
An even more fundamental affirmation to Mr. Borg’s right to not be discriminated against in this way can be found enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right includes freedom to change religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or in private, to manifest religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”
– Article 10 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
The rights outlined here are precious and innate to our human dignity. The adherence to these values forms the foundation for any civilisation worth living in. It is our duty to ensure that these values belong to everybody within Europe, high and low. For this fundamental reason, and for the factors outlined above, the Dignitatis Humanae Institute urges all Europeans to make a judgement on Mr. Borg based on his relative competence and not to discriminate him on the basis of his private beliefs. A failure to endorse Mr. Borg would be a depressing indication that the EU has no intention to live up to the “Unity and Diversity” of its own motto.
Further information can be found from the European Dignity Watch and the Federation Of Catholic Family Associations In Europe
