Claim:  Pope Francis bestowed the Pontifical Medal upon Lilianne Ploumen, a Dutch pro-abortion activist. 
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: Pope Francis
text: will be "marginalized or worse" if they speak out, and causing faithful Catholics to "lose confidence in their supreme shepherd". In 2017, Dutch politician Lilianne Ploumen was appointed as Dame Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. Ploumen, who has been involved in promoting legislation supporting women's reproductive rights, stated that she believed the honor was given to her in the context of the Dutch state visit to the Vatican in June 2017 in her capacity as Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. Paloma Garcia-Ovejero, deputy director of the Holy See Press Office, stated that "the honorific

title: Pope Francis
text: of the St. Gregory the Great Pontifical Order that Liliane Ploumen, then Minister for Development received in June 2017, during the visit of the Dutch Royals to the Holy Father, is part of the diplomatic praxis of the exchange of decorations among delegations during official visits between heads of state and government to the Vatican.. [it] cannot be by any way considered an endorsement to the pro-abortion and birth control politics advocated by Mrs. Ploumen." In August 2018, 45 Catholic scholars, and clergy signed an appeal to the cardinals of the Catholic Church, calling on them to advise Pope Francis

title: Lilianne Ploumen
text: about 50 countries, organizations and foundations to finance global family planning initiatives after a U.S. halt to such programs left NGOs worldwide with a large funding gap. Within six months the organization received pledges worth USD 300 million. As minister, she pledged 10 million euro to counter the Mexico City policy. Following the 2014 European elections, international news media widely considered Ploumen one of the candidates for the nomination to become the Netherlands’ member of the European Commission; the post eventually went to Frans Timmermans. In the Dutch elections in 2017, in which the PvdA won nine seats, Ploumen was

title: Pontifical Academy for Life
text: Knight of the Knights of Columbus, and Cardinal Willem Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht. The new member whose views were most at odds with Church teaching was Nigel Biggar of the University of Oxford who, though an opponent of assisted suicide legislation, once suggested abortion might be licit during the first eighteen weeks of a pregnancy. Some of those not reappointed had been among the more vocal critics of Paglia or known for their "combative tone", including Michel Schooyans, professor emeritus at the Catholic University of Louvain, and Luke Gormally, a former research professor at Ave Maria School of Law. Members

title: Maria Cristina Giongo
text: of his beatification. She also wrote an article on the marriage of the heir to the Dutch throne Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima, as well as an article on the ordination of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. Won in Otranto (Puglia) the Salento award - Journalists of the Mediterranean – section terrorism, September 11, 2016, for the article published in the newspaper Libero: 'I had to kill mom and sister to save them from ISIS'. As a member of Pro Petri Sede Benelux she met Pope Francis on February 10, 2016 and from His hands she received the pontifical medal

title: Maurice Vellacott
text: recognize these two women, Vellacott released a statement that referred to them as "heroines of humanity", and justified his decision by stating: "It's a pretty upside down world when we honour abortionists like Henry Morgentaler for killing over 5,000 babies and imprison precious women, like Mary Wagner and Linda Gibbons, who try to save babies from such savagery. They are the real heroes of humanity!" Vellacott's decision to bestow the Queen's Jubilee Medal on Gibbon and Wagner has been praised by pro-life groups such as the Campaign Life Coalition, and the Catholic Register. Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae criticized Vellacott's

title: Operation Rescue (Kansas)
text: leads to a criminal conviction of what it describes as "abortionists". The first award was given in 2011 to a former employee at an abortion clinic. The Malachi Award is an annual award given for service to the pro-life movement. It is named after a fetus discovered outside of an abortion clinic in Texas. The name means "my messenger" and was given to the fetus by the executive secretary of New York Lambs of Christ. Randall Terry filed a lawsuit against Troy Newman in 2008, alleging misuse of the name "Operation Rescue." Former Rescue leaders, including Keith Tucci (director), Patrick

title: Lilianne Ploumen
text: Lilianne Ploumen Elisabeth Maria Josepha "Lilianne" Ploumen (; born 12 July 1962) is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). She was Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the second Rutte cabinet from 5 November 2012 to 26 October 2017. She previously was Chairwoman of the Labour Party (2007–2012). Elisabeth Maria Josepha Ploumen was born in Maastricht in the Netherlands on 12 July 1962. Ploumen studied social history at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 1983, while still at university, Ploumen became a community outreach worker in the Crooswijk area of Rotterdam. Two years later she joined the Institute

title: Carl A. Anderson
text: and 2015 by Ethisphere. He was awarded the Order of Merit from the government of Poland and the "Evangelium Vitae" Medal from the University of Notre Dame in 2015. He has received the Patronal Medal of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for his "distinguished service in the advancement of Marian devotion;" the Archdiocese of Denver's "Imago Dei" Award; the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty's Canterbury Medal; the Path to Peace Foundation's Servant of Peace Award; the Pontifical North American College's Rector's Award; the Sisters of Life John Cardinal O'Connor Award, and the Gold Palm of

title: Hilligje Kok-Bisschop
text: Hilligje Kok-Bisschop Hilligje Kok-Bisschop (born 1948) is a Netherlands activist from Staphorst for emancipation of orthodox Christian women. On 26 April 2013 she received the Order of Orange-Nassau for her work advocating the rights of women in the Dutch orthodox Christian community. She had previously been shunned from her local church for lobbying in The Hague for female representation in the Christian party SGP. She received the award thanks to a documentary made about her by the Dutch filmmaker Emile van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal, who himself was awarded the same order on 24 April 2015, mostly for his documentaries based

title: Maurice Vellacott
text: a Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012; all were automatic by virtue of being an elected Member of Parliament. Vellacott was re-elected in the 2008 federal election. In 2012, Vellacott nominated and awarded Queen's Jubilee medals to Linda Gibbons and Mary Wagner, who had both been convicted of criminal offences related to their anti-abortion activism. Gibbons was arrested for repeated violations of injunctions against protesting in front of women's health clinics. Mary Wagner was serving time in jail for mischief and violating court orders regarding women's health clinics when she received her medal. When asked to comment on his decision to

title: Lilianne Ploumen
text: tenth on the electoral list, but due to preferential votes still won a seat in the Dutch House of Representatives. Lilianne Ploumen Elisabeth Maria Josepha "Lilianne" Ploumen (; born 12 July 1962) is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). She was Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the second Rutte cabinet from 5 November 2012 to 26 October 2017. She previously was Chairwoman of the Labour Party (2007–2012). Elisabeth Maria Josepha Ploumen was born in Maastricht in the Netherlands on 12 July 1962. Ploumen studied social history at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 1983, while still at

title: Pope Francis
text: the practice and legality of abortion. In May 2013, Francis unexpectedly participated in Italy's pro-life march in Rome, asking its participants to protect human life "from the moment of conception". Also, as Ireland (a traditionally very Catholic country) was preparing legislation to legalize abortion in limited cases, Francis sent a message to the Irish asking them to protect the lives of both the unborn and vulnerable people. Also in May 2013, during a Wednesday audience Francis officially blessed the pro-life march in Szczecin, Poland, one of Europe's largest pro-life events and, speaking in Italian, encouraged the Poles to defend the

title: Michel Schooyans
text: Fisichella's resignation from the presidency of the Pontifical Academy for Life, saying that he had fallen into the trap of "bogus compassion," in criticizing the public excommunication by the Brazilian bishops of the doctors who had decided to perform an abortion on a nine-year-old girl who had been raped and whose life was at risk. He is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences of the Vatican, of the Royal Institute of International Relations in Brussels, the Institute for Demographic Policy in Paris, the Population Research Institute in Washington. Michel Schooyans Michel Schooyans (born on 6 July 1930

title: Rebecca Gomperts
text: that was transformed into an abortion clinic and sailed across international waters. Rebecca Gomperts Rebecca Gomberts (born 1966) is a doctor based out of Amsterdam. She specializes in providing reproductive health services for women in countries where it is not provided. A trained abortion specialist and dedicated activist, she is generally considered the first abortion rights activist to cross international borders. Founder of Women on Waves, and Women on Web, Gomperts has dedicated her life towards saving women from illegal abortions. Unlike most medical activists, Gomperts has a background in the world of art. Using these talents to help her

title: Pope Francis
text: these women had difficulty forgiving themselves. This outreach by the Pope is saying 'Don't isolate yourselves, come back to the church.'" Jon O'Brien, the president of U.S. pro-choice Catholic dissident advocacy group Catholics for Choice, praised the pope's effort, and said "it showed that Francis understood the deep chasm that exists between ordinary Catholics who turn to abortion and birth control with the same frequency as people of other faiths and their clergy." Francis has often spoken about the importance of women in the Catholic Church. He considers that they have a special role in spreading the faith to their

title: Austin Ruse
text: a Roman Catholic, and a Knight of Magistral Grace in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, as well as a Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He is a recipient of the Defender of Life Award presented by the anti-abortion group Students for Life of America. He received the John Cardinal O'Connor Award from Legatus, an organization for Catholic business leaders. In 2004, Ruse and his wife Cathy received the John Paul II Award for Advancing the Culture of Life from the Catholic Institute for the Psychological Sciences. Ruse was a regular contributor to the far-right media

title: A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion
text: to be honored with an award given by John Carroll University, a Catholic institution in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland archdiocese wrote to the Vatican to determine Farley's status, and the Vatican responded that Farley "has retracted her signature from the 'Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion.'" Sister Helen Amos, the president of Farley's order, the Sisters of Mercy, was quoted by the Vatican: "Sister Margaret's position is in accord with the teaching of the Church." This statement had been accepted as a recantation by Cardinal Hamer in December 1985. After learning of the Vatican response, Farley said Hamer's assumption was

title: Lilianne Ploumen
text: marking a turning point for a country that long deflected accusations that it is a key player in tax avoidance by multinational corporations. With their proposal, Ploumen and Weekers followed the recommendations of a government-commissioned report which, for the first time, agreed with tax-justice groups that developing countries miss out on substantial tax revenues because of their treaties with the Netherlands. During her time in office, Ploumen increased the Netherlands’ support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, from €200 million to €250 million for period from 2016 until 2020. Between 2014 and 2016, she co-chaired the Global Partnership for Effective Development

title: Lilianne Ploumen
text: the chairwoman of the Labour Party from 6 October 2007, after she beat former minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment Jan Pronk with 54% of the votes. She resigned from this post on 22 January 2012 and was succeeded by Hans Spekman. Ploumen served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the second Rutte cabinet from 5 November 2012 until 2017. Early on in her tenure, Ploumen and Secretary of State of Finance Frans Weekers submitted a proposal in 2013 to renegotiate the Netherlands’ tax treaties with 23 least-developed countries. Their move was widely seen as