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In this Issue
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Pro-Life Actions
Holy See to World Humanitarian Summit-"There is no right to abortion"
Latin America: Pro-life leaders denounce OAS declaration on Zika
Nigerian Speaker to Rally at Canadian Parliament: "Do Not Export Abortion!"
Focus on the United Nations
UN Report on CSW: Must work "to transform cultural and religious forces"
International Pressure for Abortion
New Canadian Government to Fund Abortion Globally
Hillary Clinton Calls for Global Access to Abortion
Legislative News
Canada: Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act
Canada: Liberal MP calls euthanasia bill a step towards 'moral relativism'
Mexico: State Challenges New Federal Policy Increasing Access to Abortion
US: South Carolina Bans Abortion After 19 Weeks
Australia: State of Victoria Considers Pro-Life Legislation
Executive News
Philippines: President-elect seeks three-child families
Judicial News
Iowa: Court Affirms Unborn Child's Rights
New York: Court Rules No Right to Euthanasia
Religious Leaders
Latin America: Bishops Launch Pro-Life Campaign across Continent
Issues
US: Indiana Installs "Baby Boxes" to Save Lives
Netherlands: Euthanasia Deaths Jump from 2015
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Pro-Life Actions
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Holy See to World Humanitarian Summit-"There is no right to abortion"
Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State for the Vatican, led the Holy See delegation to the first World Humanitarian Summit, an initiative of the United Nations, and presented the Holy See's statement "Uphold the norms that safeguard humanity" which stated the core belief shared by many countries that "there is no right to abortion."
It condemned all acts of violence and made special reference to violence against women, girls and unborn children stating, "Along
these lines, the Holy See also condemns all acts of violence against
women and girls, especially systematic rape used as a tactic of war or
terror. The Holy See promotes the prevention and deterrence of crimes,
the prosecution of criminals and access to victim assistance, which does
not involve further violence to the traumatized victim and innocent
unborn child."
The
Holy See's statement included a strong rebuttal to pro-abortion
countries and activists who claim that access to abortion is an
international right, "In this regard, the Holy See emphasizes that
there is no right to abortion under international human rights law or
international humanitarian law".
The
Summit was used by other entities in attempts to advance access to
abortion in humanitarian settings including the European Parliament
which passed a resolution
this past December that expressed support for abortion as a component
of "the full range of sexual and reproductive health services". The
resolution stated that there should be a global commitment to ensure "that
women and girls have access to the full range of sexual and
reproductive health services, including safe abortions, in humanitarian
crises, rather than perpetuating what amounts to inhumane treatment, as
required by international humanitarian law and as foreseen in the Geneva
Conventions and their Additional Protocols".
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Nigerian Speaker to Rally at Canadian Parliament: "Do Not Export Abortion!"
The 19th annual National March for Life to the steps of the Canadian Parliament heard from Obianuju Ekeocha,
a Nigerian scientist who founded and serves as President of the Culture
of Life Africa, who told the 20,000 gathered for the March, "Only
a few days ago, I got heartbreaking news that Canada will now be
funding abortion in developing countries. What a shame that the new
government of Canada now wants to bring money that should have been
helping women and children in Africa...to export abortion."
She exhorted, "I
beg you to not use the blood of the innocent to pave the path to
development. You can never buy development with the blood of the
innocent", and appealed to Canadians to defend life because of the "universal truth" that "life begins at conception, without exceptions!"
While
speaking to a breakfast gathering of MPs and senators, Obianuju Ekeocha
explained that the issue of abortion "has already been decided by many
African countries" who have "decided that abortion is an attack on human
life at its earliest stages."
Ekeocha referenced statistics from the Pew Research 2014 Global Morality Survey
which demonstrates differing views on abortion in countries around the
world, including Nigeria where 80 per cent of those interviewed found
abortion morally unacceptable while only two per cent find it morally
acceptable and Ghana where 92 per cent found abortion to be morally
unacceptable.
She urged
the lawmakers to help focus Canada's attention on areas that genuinely
help developing nations reduce maternal, child and infant mortality
rates and spoke about the current unacceptable situation where many
African women deliver their babies without professional health care
assistance resulting in preventable maternal health problems, especially
obstructive labor and delivery. She also explained that many women in
Africa do not have access to clean blood for critically needed blood
transfusion and asked, "So how about more of the effort be put on improving blood-banking systems in African nations?"
For
Obianuju Ekeocha, the actions of a more developed or wealthier nation to
fund abortion and bring a 'culture of abortion' to African nations, "reeks of colonialization and it reeks of cultural imperialism."
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Latin America: Pro-life leaders denounce OAS declaration on Zika
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro
of Uruguay, joined the chorus of pro-abortion organizations calling for
access to abortion in the case of mothers who are infected with the
Zika virus and who may transfer the virus to their unborn child
resulting in possible abnormalities affecting head size and brain
development.
Almagro's statement- Declaración del Secretario General de la OEA sobre la Epidemia del virus Zika-,
available only in Spanish on the OAS website, called the Zika outbreak
"an opportunity for equal rights" and stated that in cases of
infected pregnant women, "the legal interruption of pregnancy would be
justifiable."
The Secretary General's statement justifies access to abortion based on "the
risk to the life of the mother from the perspective of her dignity, the
material conditions of her life and existence, but above all, her
ability to make autonomous decisions about her life and health and the
future of her offspring and the nuclear family."
Pro-life leaders in Latin America strongly denounced the declaration. As reported by EWTN News, pro-life leader Jesús Magaña of Colombia reacted by stating "we're again witnessing the resurgence of a eugenics mentality" and explained that the OAS is looking at the Zika crisis "not
with a view to the health of the most defenseless and vulnerable
populations, of the poorest women, but rather to destroy the children of
the poor, to get rid of poverty through destruction, by aborting the
poor."
Luis Losada Pescador, of the pro-life platform CitizenGo, not only criticized the OAS for its actions by which "they recognize that it's a matter of an excuse to promote abortion in the region" but highlighted the fact that the action is counter to Article IV of the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights which states "Every
person has the right to have his life respected. This right shall be
protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception. No one
shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life."
Pescador asks, "Do the (member) states agree that this international organization can bypass the mandates, to follow an ideological agenda?"
From Paraguay, Marcos León, called Secretary General Almagro's declaration "a complete disgrace" as well as Almagro's agreement with those promoting "the abortion culture", since "he heads up an organization whose main objective is to defend people's fundamental rights."
León continues, "It's
intolerable that in face of a problem like Zika, whose the real
solution is found in prevention policies and eliminating the vector
mosquito based on educating the citizenry and raising their awareness,
that the voluntary elimination of human beings again be proposed as a
'solution or palliation' of the evils caused by this illness."
Julia Regina de Cardenal of the El Salvador stated, "The pro-abortion lobby is exploiting this health crisis to legalize the abortion industry," and reminded that "the unborn baby has the right to life, even when it may have an illness or birth defects."
El
Salvador not only protects life from conception in its constitution,
but its people are deeply pro-life despite the international
pro-abortion pressure on its government. One young pregnant mother was
asked her opinion on abortion in the case of Zika and she responded,
"I've been told about Zika, the problems it can bring and the
precautions I need to take to not get the virus. It's a risk that you
run. I don't think the abortion law should be changed. Babies aren't to
blame for Zika and the mistakes people make. Babies are a blessing from
God."
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Focus on the United Nations
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Report on CSW: Must work "to transform cultural and religious forces"
An analysis report on the progress towards women's empowerment at the 2016 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)- Driving the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
is critical of pro-life and pro-families organizations and of countries
that sought to protect sovereign laws related to sexual and
reproductive health and rights (SRHR). It states, "we still have work to do in transforming national and regional patriarchies and related cultural and religious forces." The report was authored by UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Lakshmi Puri.
In reviewing actions at CSW and the Agreed Conclusions,
she raises concern regarding country efforts to define SRHR and
proposes that regional CSW prep meetings are the place to mitigate
opposition [pro-life and pro-family efforts] to ensure the desired
outcome at CSW 2017 is achieved.
Ms. Puri states:
"Following adoption by consensus of the Agreed Conclusions, statements were made by some states and one observer to either explain their positions or to express reservationswith
regards to the adopted text. Some regretted the absence of frontier
issues they would have liked to see addressed in a progressive way - for
example on SOGI, LGTB, forms of family. Others sought to qualify how
they interpret what is included especially with regards to SRHR. Some of
these explanations raise concerns and indicate that we still have work
to do in transforming national and regional patriarchies and related
cultural and religious forces. We also need to ensure that the outcomes
of regional level CSW preparatory meetings are translated into their
global positions and to ensure that GEWE officials stay on to negotiate
until agreement is reached.
"We
have to work through mitigation strategies on the reservations and
political / cultural / religious aspects of some of the issues
surrounding women's human rights. As always, pre-CSW preparations are
essential and engaging Member States individually and in blocs on the
CSW priority theme, noting their concerns and where possible addressing
those concerns proved successful to the outcome of CSW60 and will also
guide us for CSW 61."
The 2030 Agenda and the SDGs were highlighted in the report in efforts to further the SRHR agenda including "universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights".
Ms. Puri analyzes the gains made at CSW for Universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights (SDG 5.6):
"It was a solid achievement that a robust,
comprehensive and progressive commitment was secured on the
implementation of SDG 5.6 and SDG 3 on universal access to sexual and
reproductive health and reproductive rights in the teeth of opposition
by some groups and countries on account of their stance on SRHR, SOGI
and abortion.The fact that the text is from the Agreed Conclusions of the 58th session and was used as a consensus text in
no way diminishes the value of the achievement because this progressive
affirmation is in the context of the gender-responsive 2030 Agenda
implementation and at a time when it has become even more contentious. "
PNCI
agrees that the promotion of abortion and related issues have become
more contentious that ever at the UN, as they ought to be. The stakes
are higher than ever as the UN finalizes the 2030 Agenda and determines
the areas that will be monitored and evaluated for progress while
receiving unprecedented funding for the next 15 years.
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International Pressure for Abortion
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New Canadian Government to Fund Abortion Globally
In
a stark reminder of the critical importance of the control of
government, Canadian Liberal Party Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's
government has announced
its commitment to continue Canadian foreign aid for maternal, child and
newborn health programs but lifted the restriction that none of the
funds could be used for abortion. This contrasts with the 'no abortion
funding' policy under the Conservative Party government of former PM
Stephen Harper who had commited $3.5 billion from 2015 to
2020to global maternal, child and newborn health. Officials were unable
to say how much federal aid will be spent subsidizing overseas abortion
services.
According to Louis Belanger, communications director to International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, "Canada
is committed to universal access to sexual and reproductive health
services and rights. We are also committed to a better and more
comprehensive approach to supporting the health of women in developing
countries. We believe that programming decisions on these matters should
be driven by evidence and outcomes, not ideology."
"The inclusion or exclusion of specific health services is
under the purview of recipient countries. Many governments allow
abortion on request or for a variety of reasons including safeguarding
the woman's health," Belanger stated, adding, "Canada provides
support to strengthen national and local health care systems in line
with the legal frameworks and health priorities of recipient countries
themselves."
In related action, during remarks at an event on " Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Rights and its role in achieving gender equality"
during the UN's Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that was
co-sponsored by the Government of Canada, the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF),
and Plan International, International Development Minister Marie-Claude
Bibeau said, " I really want to say loud and clear, Canada is back."
"We really want to support projects that cover the whole
range of health services to women and young girls. And this starts with
sexual education, family planning, planning against sexual diseases,
safe deliveries and safe abortion."
She continued, "This freedom includes a woman's right to choose
in consultation with her doctor whether or not to have an abortion. As
our prime minister has said, it is not up to legislators in Canada,
particularly when they are primarily male, to take that freedom of
choice away from women."
The
decision of the Trudeau government to fund abortion internationally is
not a surprise for many Canadians. During the election campaign Trudeau
had required all Liberal Party candidates to support access to abortion
as a "woman's right to choose" and if elected, to vote against any
legislation that could restrict access to
abortion.
Canada
does not have a law defining the legal status of abortion resulting in
one of the world's most extreme policies on abortion-along with the USA,
China and North Korea-allowing abortion for any reason during any stage
of pregnancy.
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Hillary Clinton Calls for Global Access to Abortion
In a video message, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addressed the last day of the Women Deliver 2016 conference in Copenhagen, self-described as "the
world's largest global conference on the health, rights, and well being
of girls and women in the last decade", and the first such gathering
since the launch of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During her video message, Clinton called for renewed efforts to "break down the barriers holding back women and girls around the world" and stated, "Gender equality, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, must be a core priority."
Her message comes at a strategic time as the world is seeking to implement measures to achieve the SDGs and ensure by 2030 "universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services" and "Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights" as
stated in the goals on health and gender equality. Intense debate has
taken place at the United Nations over the terms "reproductive
health-care services" and "reproductive rights" which are believed by
most to include access to abortion. Concern continues over the yet to be
completed indicators which will be used to monitor a country's progress
on achieving the goals and targets.
It
is well-known that Clinton has long supported abortion on demand
throughout pregnancy calling it not only a woman's right, a human right
and a 'reproductive right' but unabashedly proclaimed in testimony
before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in April 2009 that "reproductive health includes access to abortion", video of her remarks.
Activists
have pushed for expansion of the sexual and reproductive agenda since
the 1995 Women's Conference in Beijing when Clinton led the US
delegation as First Lady. In her remarks she referenced Beijing and
stated, "And the gains we've made since then prove that progress is
possible. But as you all know too well, our work is far from finished.
This is an important moment as we chart a course to meet the new
Sustainable Development Goals. We have to break down the barriers holding back women and girls around the world."
Laws
and policies that ban, restrict, or regulate abortion and religious and
cultural beliefs that value life from the moment of conception are all
"barriers to progress" from the pro-abortion point of view.
Read more here.
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Legislative News
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Canada: Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act
Mark Warawa, MP, introduced Private Member's Bill C-268: Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act to amend the Liberal government's assisted suicide legislation, Bill C-14, and guarantee
the protection of conscience rights of physicians and health care
professionals object to participating in assisted suicide and
euthanasia. The bill would make it a criminal offence to intimidate or
coerce a physician, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, or any other health
care professional to take part, directly or indirectly, in assisted
suicide or euthanasia or to dismiss anyone from employment for
exercising their right of conscience.
Warawa explains the reason for the bill, "I
have heard from Canadians across the country who are very concerned
that physicians and health care professionals would be forced to
participate in assisted suicide or euthanasia against their will. There
has been overwhelming agreement that legislation is needed to protect
the conscience rights of physicians."
According to the parliamentarian's website, "The
Canadian Medical Association noted that approximately 70% of Canadian
physicians do not want to participate, directly or indirectly, in
assisted suicide and euthanasia. The remaining 30%, approximate 24,000
Canadian physicians, have indicated that they would provide assisted
suicide and euthanasia."
Canadians can express their support for the legislation by signing the conscience protection petition at markwarawa.com.
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Canada: Liberal MP calls euthanasia bill a step towards 'moral relativism'
Robert-Falcon
Ouellette, MP, gave compelling testimony during debate over the Liberal
government's euthanasia and assisted suicide bill, Bill C-14. It was reported
that Ouellette's father is a full-blooded Cree and Ouellette has been
disturbed by a plague of suicides recently hitting the Attawapiskat
First Nation in Northern Ontario. He said the bill is
"another step" towards "moral relativism," and an easy way out of the
"noble" life of sacrifice and pain required by nature.
He
explained that suicide was "virtually unheard of" in native culture
before European settlement and is concerned that turning the struggle
over to the state through assisted suicide and euthanasia "removes it from nature. Someone else will now be deciding. The bureaucracy will be deciding."
Alberta
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis began debate on the bill by criticizing
the use of the phrase "dying with dignity by those promoting assisted
suicide and euthanasia. He stated, "They are implying that people
enduring suffering do not have dignity. But we put down suffering dogs.
We do not put down suffering humans", explaining that human dignity cannot be separated from humanity at any stage, just because it may be more painful.
The House of Commons is expected to vote on C-14 on May 31.
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Mexico: State Challenges New Federal Policy Increasing Access to Abortion
The
Mexican state of Aguascalientes is challenging a new federal regulation
permitting abortion in cases of rape without requiring charges be filed
against the perpetrator. The new policy-
removing a previously required proof of the crime- seeks to make
abortion more accessible, even for minors as young as thirteen. The
state is challenging the policy in the Supreme Court. "It goes
against our civil code, which clearly specifies the oversight of
parents, and against the penal code, which requires that charges be
filed," said Ulises Ruiz, a representative in the state legislature. "It also goes against the laws regarding children and adolescents."
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US: South Carolina Bans Abortion After 19 Weeks
The state of South Carolina has passed
a law banning abortions after 19 weeks of pregnancy due to the unborn
baby's ability to feel pain. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection
Act passed the House by a vote of 79-29 and was signed into law by
Governor Nikki Haley. Doctors have testified before Congress of the
unborn child's ability to process and perceive pain by 20 weeks
gestation. "South Carolina now joins thirteen other states in recognizing the humanity of the unborn child," said Carol Tobias, National Right to Life president. "The
smallest and most vulnerable members of our human family need our
protection, and South Carolina has taken a vital step to save unborn
children who are capable of feeling the excruciating pain of abortion."
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Australia: State of Victoria Considers Pro-Life Legislation
The Australian state of Victoria has voted down the first pro-life legislation in decades. The Infant Viability Bill, introduced by Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins, MP, would ban abortion after the 24th
week of gestation and support the viability of infants born alive at 24
weeks. It is the first attempt to amend the abortion law of 2008.
During the bill's second reading, Dr Carling-Jenkins explained the
bill's life-affirming approach to helping mothers and their children. "It treats, protects, and assists both mother and baby when they are at their most vulnerable," she said adding, "The
Infant Viability Bill makes necessary reforms to the way mothers and
their preborn children are cared for in the later stages of pregnancy."
Unfortunately, the bill failed to pass by a vote of 11-27.
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Executive News
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Philippines: President-elect Seeks Three-child Families
President-elect Duterte has announced
that he would like to see three-child families the day after he
insulted the bishops of the Philippines.He also called the Catholic
Church in the Philippines the "most
hypocritical institution" stating that it was "meddling in government
policies" and that some bishops "were enriching themselves at the
expense of the poor."Duterte expressed his belief in limiting the size of families, "I
only want three children for every family. I'm a Christian, but I'm a
realist so we have to do something with our overpopulation. I will defy
the opinion or the belief of the Church." About 80 percent of the
100 million people in the Philippines are Catholics, the largest
concentration of any Asian country, who oppose abortion and
contraception.
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Judicial News
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Iowa: Court Affirms Unborn Child's Rights
The Iowa Supreme Court issued a ruling
granting the same rights to unborn children as to those born. The case
featured a little girl who was awarded damages for the wrongful death of
her father, though she was not yet born at the time of his passing. In
its decision, the court stated that, "[A] child conceived but not yet born at the time of [her] parent's death can bring a parental consortium claim".
While the justices tried to avoid the issue of abortion, the case
clearly has implications for it and is another example of policy
affirming the unborn child's rights.
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New York: Court Rules No Right to Euthanasia
A New York appeals court has upheld a ruling
affirming that physician-assisted suicide is not a right. The case
sought to protect doctors who provide euthanasia, though euthanasia is
illegal in New York. The ruling affirmed that while patients have the
right to refuse medical treatment, they do not have the right to
assisted suicide. "In New York, as in most states, it is a crime to aid
another to commit or attempt suicide," wrote Manhattan State Supreme
Court Justice Joan Kenney in the October 2015 ruling.
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Religious Leaders
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Latin America: Bishops Launch Pro-Life Campaign across Continent
Bishops across Latin America have launched a pro-life campaign
calling attention to the damage caused by abortion to women and
children and that hope and help is available. The Department of Family,
Life and Youth of the Latin American Bishops Council (CELAM) launched
the campaign to share the message of healing during 2016, declared as
the Year of Mercy by Pope Francis. Posters sharing the message will also
refer to Project Esperanza, a post abortion healing ministry. "The
campaign will reach not only those who have already suffered the
abortion experience, but will also sensitize the general public to the
need to protect both mother and child from the scourge of abortion," said Elizabeth Bunster of Project Esperanza.
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Issues
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US: Indiana Installs "Baby Boxes" to Save Lives
The state of Indiana has installed two "safe haven" baby boxes
in an effort to protect abandoned babies who might be harmed or
literally thrown away. The placement of the baby boxes follows passage
of legislation last year approving the installation at fire stations and
other public facilities. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed safe haven legislation.
The Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization
installed the baby boxes, which are padded, have circulated air and are
climate-controlled, outside fire stations in the state. When the box is
activated by placement of a baby, a 911 call is issued and Child
Protective Services takes custody of the baby. Founder Monica Kelsey,
herself an abandoned baby, points out that over 3,000 babies across the
US have been saved through safe haven baby boxes.
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Netherlands: Euthanasia Deaths Jump from 2015
Statistics
in the Netherlands for 2015 show a significant 4 percent rise in
assisted suicide from the year before, and a 50 percent increase in the
past five years. Just two people had been euthanized in the country in 2010 due to an "insufferable" mental illness, but it was reported that 56 people did so last year.
The
increase is attributed to the expansion of euthanasia to psychiatric
patients and the elderly. Many of the non-traditional euthanasia cases
involved the End of Life Clinic, which opened in 2012 to handle cases
which most doctors would not handle. Paulan
Stärcke, a Dutch psychiatrist who has carried out euthanasia requests
at the End-of-Life clinic claimed that psychiatrists are "too hesitant"
about agreeing to euthanasia for patients with psychiatric diseases. She even expressed the belief that requests by children
as young as 12 who ask to end their lives should be taken seriously
explaining, "There's a giant misunderstanding; euthanasia is a good
death by the wish of the person who dies and no-one else.It
is an execution of the wish of a patient." In 2002, the Netherlands
became the first country to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
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Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues
Advancing global respect and dignity for life through law
and policy.
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www.pncius.org |
Visit us on the web!
www.PNCIUS.org
has been updated with expanded information on Human Dignity and critical
issues including: Abortion, Bioethics, Child Mortality, End of life issues,
Infanticide, Maternal mortality and Sex-selective abortion.
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Contact PNCI |
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Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues
P.O. Box 20203
Washington, DC 20041
703-433-2767
info@pncius.org
All news articles include links to original source. PNCI cannot verify that the
information contained in the news articles is accurate.
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