Organisations from across Europe have joined forces to promote human life by setting up the One of Us European Federation for Life and Human Dignity.

Over 1,200 participants attended the launch in Paris last week. They came from countries from across the EU, including representatives from anti-abortion NGO Life Network Foundation Miriam Sciberras and Mark Sciberras.

The federation will work to support initiatives by organisations seeking unconditional recognition of the inherent, inalienable human dignity as a source of human and civil rights and freedoms.

It will also promote the development of a culture of life by supporting activities that involve the defence of human life, especially at its most vulnerable stages of development, mainly conception and gestation, childhood, maternity, sickness, old age and end of life.

It will also promote the development of a culture of life

Different topics discussed during the launch included the threat or reality of euthanasia in Europe, surrogate motherhood, eugenics and sale of gametes.

During the event, Pattaramon Chanbua, a Thai woman, became the first One of Us Award recipient. Her story attracted international attention in 2014 after it emerged that the Australian biological parents had asked Ms Chanbua to only carry to full term one of the two babies she was carrying after learning that the other had Down’s syndrome. This sparked worldwide outrage, with Ms Chanbua refusing to abort and choosing to raise the baby, who also had a congenital heart disease, as her own while the parents took the healthy baby back home.

More information on the newly-launched federation can be found at http://www.oneofus.eu or via the Facebook page One of Us.