Tell us about ProLife Europe. What is your message to Germany and Europe?
ProLife Europe was founded on March 24, 2019 in Augsburg, Germany as a non-profit association. We believe that every human being, from conception to natural death, is valuable and worthy of protection. The most fundamental human right is the right to life, and our mission is to create a culture of life in Europe. If we work together, the impossible can become possible!
There are already some German pro-life organizations. What is the goal of ProLife Europe and what gap are you filling in the broad pro-life movement?
What sets us apart is that the focus of our work is clearly on the young. Our organizational model is Students for Life of America. Being in Europe, we want to create a united pro-life youth movement here. That means cooperating and collaborating with already existing associations, while working to establish and become directly involved with organizations in countries which have yet to establish a pro-life movement.
Besides networking with other pro-life groups, what does your work look like specifically?
A rather large and important part of our work is the foundation of student groups and the support of their actions within universities, schools and cities. We equip these young people with the necessary knowledge and materials to craft various campaigns which are then used to appeal to the people in their immediate environment.
Furthermore, ProLife Europe offers a program called “LifeTALKS”. This involves the organization and deployment of two teaching units which then go to local schools to present on the subject of abortion and the protection of life. These lectures are geared for students in 8th grade and up, and are offered free of charge.
Also, in various European cities each year, ProLife Europe organizes lectures and workshops under the banner of “Impact Congress”. In this program, young people learn how they can make a sustainable contribution to life, either privately or in a group. The congress serves as a great motivator for burgeoning pro-life advocates, but also creates a great environment for networking with other pro-life groups and making new friends.
You have been in the service of life with ProLife Europe for two years now. Have you already achieved your first victories?
Absolutely! Since our organization was founded, we have established 30 groups in eight countries. The newest group is ProLife-Paris. This is a big step for us and for the whole pro-life movement as the legal situation in France severely restricts the options of pro-life groups. We’ve also had some success in Germany with the establishment of groups at the University of Passau, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the University of Freiburg and the Heiligenkreuz University of Applied Sciences, among others.
How does the current situation with the coronavirus affect your work and the work of the pro-life movement in general?
COVID-19 has already made our job much more difficult. Firstly, It has drastically hampered our donations, which is vital tin keeping our programs moving forward. Also, because of the restrictions and other measures, many activities are now not possible or can only be carried out to a limited extent.
However, we have also grown a lot in the process and have been able to find new ways as a team to get our message across. We have managed to use social media to create online campaigns and a great example of this was on Human Rights Day on December 10, 2020.
What are your plans for ProLife Europe in 2021? Where do you see the challenges in the new year?
We want to continue to grow in 2021 by building new groups in new countries. As a matter of fact, we’re on the verge of launching our first organization in Portugal.
As ProLife Europe is exclusively donor-funded, another important goal for the upcoming year is to generate more donors. That said, we are very excited about what lies ahead!
Thank you very much for the insight into your work. Is there anything else you would like to share with readers of iFamNews? How can people reach your organization, support it, or even be part of the movement?
I would like to share, once again, that every human being is infinitely valuable. Every life is worth living and protecting.
For everything about ProLife Europe, please visit our website. We would also love to hear from anyone who follows us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
There are several ways to support us.
First, every donation is extremely important to us because it enables us to continue to reach many people, change hearts, and save lives. Our donation account is IBAN: DE42 7002 0500 0001 6602 01; BIC: BFSWDE33MUE
Also, if you are interested in starting or joining a group, you can always contact us at getactive@prolifeeurope.org.
You can reach me at clara.auersperg@prolifeeurope.org.
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