Finland Times

The minister reportedly commented that law could be broken under certain circumstances due to religious beliefs, according to the Yle news.

 

Räsänen, also the chief of the Christian Democrat, told Yle that she did not expect such reaction among the people, who demanded that the minister should step down due to her controversial speech. The minister feared that the public reaction could be stronger had it was not summer vacation.

 

The minister, however, claimed that she got thousands of emails where the majority people expressed solidarity with her remarks.

 

“They were concerned that devoted Christians who feel that there is no total freedom in exercising rites and be open about your views in this society,” said the minister.

 

Pointing out the incident of attack on her house, she said that despite objections by various quarter she would be strict on her argument and would continue as the interior minister.

 

Earlier, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja  said that  civil disobedience cannot be based on Bible, Koran or Mein Kampf.

 

Components of the ruling alliance- National Democratic Party also took opposite stance over the remarks of interior minister.

 

The NDP parliamentary group chief Petteri Orpo demanded that Räisänen should clarify her statement to prime Minister Jyrki Katainen.

 

The Christian Democrat parliamentary group, however, expressed resentment over the demand of the government’s main ally National Democratic Party.

 

The parliamentary party leader of Christian Democrats, Peter  Östman said that the party would not discuss the issue and their leader Päivi Räsänen as there is no necessity for clarifying the issue to the Prime Minister.

 

Päivi  Räsänen recently speaking in an occasion of Lutheran Church also criticized the abortion. Räsänen said that animals are better protected than human fetuses.

 

The animal protection law ensure protection to animals than the law on abortion gives to unborn children, said the minister, adding that animals might not be slaughtered in a painful manner, but  it is not  permitted to discuss the painfulness of abortion.

 

The Christian Democratic Party chief also described the abortion as a “silenced taboo and a Pandora's box”