The Greek government has ordered the removal of anti-abortion posters installed throughout Metro Stations in Athens.
The billboards formed part of a paid public awareness campaign by a pro-life group comprised of various Orthodox Christian organizations.
The Greek Ministry of Transport issued a statement and ordered the immediate removal of the posters. The statement said the posters, which carried the slogan “Choose life” under a picture of an unborn fetus, target women’s “legally protected and indisputable right” to abortion.
Abortion in Greece became legal in 1986 and since then has become common. Precise statistics and official records remain unavailable, but on its website the organization that sponsored the campaign claims that 300,000 abortions per year take place in Greece. The website also states that almost a quarter of all Greek women have had an abortion.
The government’s statement said advertising campaigns in public areas “should not divide public opinion or, clearly, insult women who have been forced to make such a difficult choice.”
The ministry said it had instructed the operating company that manages the Attiko Metro, or Athens Metro system, to remove the posters as soon as possible.
Despite the powerful Orthodox Church’s position on abortion, the issue does not receive mass political attention in Greece. Only far right-wing Christian groups have made abortion an issue.
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4 comments
I am sure you that supports abortion loves this government policy. That’s keep killing Greek Children in order to support your open borders Philosophy,
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First of all, his public poster does not infringe on a Greek woman’s right to an abortion. It informs her of things that she may not know of and asks her to think deeply before aborting a would-be citizen of Greece. Greece has a negative birth rate in contrast to annual deaths. Our aggressive neighbor Turkey now has a population of 82 million and last year alone recorded 1.4 million births. We – as a people – are disappearing. 300,000 dead Greeks in one year through abortion and you believe this is a good thing? Mind you, I’m not saying that women should have no right to an abortion. I am saying that this choice should be made wisely instead of casually.
Secondly, this public poster is a form of speech. Free speech. One might not agree with it, but the publishers of this position also have a right to voice their views. The poster offers an alternative view of an important subject in the agora – the marketplace of ideas. Now the government steps in and says this is a view that should not be publically made. This is pure censorship and I cannot agree with such a move.
A famous Frenchman once said, ” I disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. The Greek government should learn from this.
Meant to say: “This public poster”………….not his public poster.