HAS EUROPE GONE CRAZY?

Feature/Commentary by AFA Journal
July 31, 2006

(AgapePress) - As the culture war in North America grows ever more intense, it might give pause to those in that part of the western hemisphere to note what sort of inanities are occurring on the continent of Europe, where secularists have already won.

IN THE NETHERLANDS
Pedophiles are in the process of registering their own political party in order to more efficiently push their agenda there. According to WorldNetDaily, that agenda includes legalized child porn, bestiality and, initially at least, lowering the legal age of consent from 16 to 12. Later, say leaders of the group, they want to remove age-of-consent laws altogether.

The good news, according to the article, is that a survey of Dutch public opinion found that 82 percent believe that the government should do something to prevent the party from forming.

IN SPAIN
The ruling socialist faction has proposed a law which would give fundamental legal right to "great apes." The socialists got the idea from the Great Ape Project, which demands "the extension of the community of equals to include all great apes: human beings, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans."

What would those rights entail? The website defines them as: the right not to be killed unless an ape threatens someone's life; the right not to be tortured or used in medical tests; and the right "not to be arbitrarily deprived of their liberty."

The latter "right" means that apes cannot be kept in zoos, unless moving those currently dwelling there might cause more harm than good. Apes should not be "imprisoned" if they "have not been convicted of any crime, or ... are not criminally liable." For apes who are incarcerated, they "have the right to appeal" through a human legal advocate.

An article in the London Telegraph said the law, if passed, would make Spain the first nation in the world -- and, no doubt, in history -- to grant such rights to apes.

IN GERMANY
Women who are unemployed must be willing to work as a prostitute or risk losing unemployment benefits. Prostitution is legal in German and, according to the Catholic news outlet Zenit, brothel owners have access to official databases of those who have registered for unemployment benefits.

"Germany's welfare laws oblige women under 55 who have been out of work for more than a year to take an available job -- including the sex industry -- or lose benefits," Zenit said. "The government had considered making brothels an exception, but eventually ruled this out."