Finnish minister survives no confidence motion called on his pro-life beliefs
Finland’s Foreign Minister has survived a confidence vote in parliament after opposition parties tried to force him to quit over his pro-life views.
Timo Soini received 101 votes in his favour and 60 calling for him to resign because of his pro-life position. The Swedish People’s Party, Social Democrats, Left Alliance and the Green League proposed the no-confidence motion against the minister, who has been in office since 2015.
In response to previous criticism, Timo Soini said: "Sometimes you have to have the courage to be a one-man majority." His courage in speaking out for the unborn in a Parliament so unfathomably hostile should be a magificent example of courage in the face of adversity to us all.
Mr Soini, who converted to Catholicism in mostly Lutheran Finland, has come under fire repeatedly for his outspoken pro-life views. The attack on Mr Soini intensified particularly after attending a pro-life candle-lit vigil in Canada while on an official visit to the country. Back in early May, he joined a vigil at the Ottawa March for Life, writing on his blog: “In Ottawa, one night I attended an evening vigil by the Pro-Life movement. It was an outdoor event, not in church. The event preceded a major pro-life march in Ottawa the next day."
He went on to reiterate his position in relation to abortion in his blog, writing "how odd it is that someone would have to defend the right to defend life". He noted that he has stood against the culture of death for the last 30 years, all of them as an active politician. "It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I hold this position," he said. "And I’m not ashamed of it, nor will I ever be."