"These countries need to do something radical... or they're going to disappear."
FRONT ROYAL, Virginia - As the United States prepares to mark 40 years of legal abortion on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Human Life International (HLI) is releasing a documentary that provides much needed perspective on what Americans should anticipate in the fight for life and family.
Focusing on the nations of Hungary and Poland, the documentary highlights important lessons, and great hope, in the struggle of these Christian nations to recover their cultural identity and traditions as they move forward in building vibrant societies that embrace a Culture of Life. The second episode in HLI's True Stories documentary series, "Central and Eastern Europe: A Return to Life" debuts nationally on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) on January 20, 2013 and will re-air on the evening of the March for Life in Washington, D.C., January 25. A video preview and other resources are available on the documentary's webpage www.hli.org/CEEurope. "It's stunning, really, when you consider that the cultures of these traditionally Christian nations were devastated by the most destructive ideologies in history, Communism and Nazism, and both Poland and Hungary have seen dramatic reversals in law toward the protection of life and family," said Joseph Meaney, director of international coordination for Human Life International. "They are now struggling against a third 'ism' in their fight to reclaim their identities and a hopeful future." "Secular materialism," Meaney continued, "has aggressively followed on the heels of Nazism and Communism, and is just as destructive, but more subtly so. It is encouraging to see that although the nations of Central and Eastern Europe have suffered such devastation, they are choosing hope and a better future, in part, by adopting national pro-life and pro-family laws." "Although Poland and Hungary have seen dramatic reversals in law, we find that this is never the end of the struggle, it is just another beginning," said Father Shenan J. Boquet, president of Human Life International. "Those of us in the United States need to keep this in mind as we seek the abolition of Roe v. Wade; no matter how dark things seem now, there is hope that we can still see a major victory in law, though it will not be the end of the battle." Shot on location in Hungary and Poland in beautiful cinematic format, "A Return to Life" examines the history of the devastating assault on these nations during the 20th century, and speaks to experts about how modern changes in law - both Hungary's revolutionary 2012 "Easter Constitution" and Poland's 1993 delegalization of unrestricted abortion - reflect a pro-life revolution taking place in the former Eastern Bloc countries..
About HLI: Human Life International: For the Glory of God and defense of Life, Faith and Family. Founded in 1981, HLI is the world's largest international pro-life and pro-family organization, with affiliates and associates in over 80 countries on six continents. www.hli.org
