Rome, Italy, Sep 27, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
A pro-life politician who earned respect across party lines for her unwavering advocacy and integrity has left a lasting legacy in Slovakia and European politics following her death on Aug. 20.
Anna Záborská, 77, built a distinguished career spanning both Slovak and European Parliaments while consistently championing traditional family values, religious freedom, and the rights of the unborn — positions that sparked controversy yet garnered admiration even from political opponents.
Early life and family background
Born in Switzerland in 1948, Záborská was the daughter of Anton Neuwirth, who worked alongside Nobel Prize-winning chemist Paul Karrer. After the family returned to Czechoslovakia, her father became a political prisoner under the communist regime. Following the fall of communism, Neuwirth made history as the first ambassador of the newly independent Slovak Republic to the Holy See.
Political career
Following her father’s path in both medicine and public service, Záborská built an impressive political career. She served multiple terms in the Slovak Parliament in Bratislava before being elected to the European Parliament in Brussels, where she notably chaired the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.
She later returned to Slovak politics while also serving as plenipotentiary of the government of the Slovak Republic for the protection of freedom of religion or belief.
The position was created in September 2021 by Slovakia’s government, which recognized “the growing seriousness of the problem of violations of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion in the world.” Záborská was appointed to this role just days before Pope Francis visited Slovakia.
The position was eliminated in November 2023.
Advocacy and beliefs
Záborská was a steadfast advocate for pro-life causes, traditional family values, and religious freedom. She consistently spoke out for the rights of the unborn, pregnant women, and what she termed the “natural family.” Her advocacy extended internationally, including support for women’s rights in Iran.
She often drew parallels between communist oppression and modern secular challenges to religious freedom. Recalling how communists labeled her father “a Vatican spy,” she noted that some European Parliament colleagues used similar accusations against her, suggesting they “unconsciously conform their opinions to those who once helped build a monstrous communist regime.”
A vision for a continent in crisis
Twenty years ago, at a Rome conference, Záborská expressed concern about Europe’s direction, identifying “an ever more profound crisis of European civilization” that she believed was “strictly connected to the crisis of the faith in God and weakening of family.” Despite these concerns, she maintained hope that Europe could overcome its challenges through “untiring teaching of the Church among peoples sustained by patient diplomacy of the Holy See.”
While Záborská’s positions generated controversy and criticism from extreme leftists, radical feminists, and abortion advocates, she earned respect across party lines for her integrity and consistency.
A progressive Slovak daily acknowledged that “she was admired, even beyond her supporters, for her integrity and consistency. Few Slovak politicians of her generation maintained such a steady ideological course over decades.”
Some within her own conservative circle occasionally viewed her kindness as a political weakness. However, Archbishop Bernard Bober, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Slovakia, praised her character: “She was a woman with an open heart who could bring people together with kindness, tenderness, and peace.” He emphasized that her faith was not merely rhetorical but “a lifestyle, which she showed in service and work.”
Philanthropic work
Beyond her political activities, Záborská demonstrated her commitment to her values through personal sacrifice, donating a significant portion of her parliamentary salary to charitable causes that support women and the education of young Catholic intellectuals.
Bober summarized her life’s message as: “Loyalty, humility, and service have the power to change the world for the better.”
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