Pro-life and pro-family coalitions extend their reach in Madrid, forming a larger global network.
Transatlantic Summit for Freedom and the Culture of Life Held in Madrid
The 6th Transatlantic Summit for Freedom and the Culture of Life was held in Madrid, Spain, on 1 and 2 December 2021. This summit, organised by the PNfV, an international network of politicians actively engaged in the promotion and defense of life, family, and freedoms, brought together representatives from academic and civic institutions, doctors, and researchers from three continents.
The event was led by José Antonio Kast, president of the PNfV, and hosted by Jaime Mayor Oreja, honorary president of the PNfV and former Spanish interior minister. According to Lola Velarde, executive director of PnfV, the summit aimed to send a strong message in favour of freedom and the culture of life.
Although the meeting was non-denominational, the vast majority of attendees were Christians, with a very high percentage of evangelicals from several countries. The Transatlantic Summits are a cornerstone of the network, gathering politicians and civic leaders from the Americas, Europe, and Africa to strengthen ties, exchange perspectives, share experiences and best practices, and build synergies to advance a common agenda of values.
The opposition faced in the weeks leading up to the summit confirms that the summit is more necessary than ever, as per Velarde. The summit likely addressed topics at the intersection of freedom, human dignity, and possibly bioethical or pro-life issues, considering the phrase "Culture of Life." It may have discussed strategies for promoting these values across transatlantic societies, reflecting on cultural, legal, and political challenges.
The first Transatlantic Summit was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in 2014, followed by others at the European Parliament in Brussels in 2017, at the Colombian Capitol in Bogotá in 2019, at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, and last year at the UN headquarters in New York on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Transatlantic Summits serve as a platform for promoting and defending life, family, and freedoms on a global scale.
300 political and civic leaders from 45 countries in Europe, the Americas, and Africa attended the summit on personal invitation. Despite being labelled as fundamentalist, intolerant, and anti-rights, the speeches at the summit focused on the defense of freedoms and the right to life, particularly of the unborn. Political leaders from various countries, including members of the European Parliament, senators, US congressmen, parliamentarians from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Uganda, Malawi, and Kenya, participated as speakers at the roundtables.
- Discussions at the Transatlantic Summit for Freedom and the Culture of Life, held in Madrid, may have included policy-and-legislation regarding bioethical issues, human rights, and pro-life advocacy, reflecting the phrase "Culture of Life."
- The Transatlantic Summits, a platform for promoting and defending life, family, and freedoms on a global scale, also serve as a stage for policymakers and civic leaders to address politics and general news surrounding these values, as seen in the Madrid summit attended by 300 political leaders from multiple continents.
