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Pro-Life Actions
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Holy See: Sustainable Development Must Be Based on Respect for Life
On
the one year anniversary of the United Nations' adoption of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Holy See elaborated its view of
the principles in the outcome document "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and repeatedly expressed concern for the lives of unborn children and of right to life from conception to natural death.
The
Holy See reinforced that it was agreed that the 2030 Agenda was to be
interpreted according to "international law" with a "proper
interpretation" in accordance with "consolidated and recognized
principles" and that "goals, targets and eventual indicators should not
be considered in isolation from the Agenda". This point stands in stark
contrast to the work of UN treaty monitoring bodies, IPPF, Amnesty
International, the Center for Reproductive Rights and others that
promote the falsehood that access to abortion is an international human
right despite the fact that no UN treaty recognizes a so-called 'right
to abortion'.
Also
highlighted was the fact that the Holy See had issued clarifications
and reservations on targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
that include the terms "reproductive health" and "sexual and
reproductive health and reproductive rights":
"The
Holy See rejects the interpretation that considers abortion or access
to abortion, maternal surrogacy or sex-selective abortion, and
sterilization as dimensions of these terms."
Importantly, the Holy See stated that it "reads
the 2030 Agenda, with particular regard to the reduction of preventable
"newborn, child and maternal mortality", so as to include the unborn
child."
PNCI
appreciates and welcomes the Holy See's statement, especially as
pro-abortion activists increase their strategic networking on ways to
use the 2030 Agenda to promote access to abortion, contraception and
comprehensive sexuality education, including for girls as young as 10
years old.
Read more about the Holy See's statement here.
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U.S: Senators Blast OAS for Promoting "Cultural Imperialism"
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Mike Lee sent a letter
to Secretary of State John Kerry expressing concern about the promotion
of an ideological agenda by the Organization of American States (OAS)
with financial support from the U.S. The letter states: "While OAS
reform has been a topic of discussion this year, we have concerns that
this-organization-to which the U.S. is the largest donor-is misusing its
resources and influence in the region."
The
senators explain that they are responding to complaints from Central
and South American officials who believe that their national sovereignty
is being threatened by "cultural imperialism imposed by an
organization that is seemingly more concerned with pushing an
ideological agenda than respecting the local rule of law". The Inter-American Court of Human Rights was described as "often subverting laws on matters pertaining to issues like abortion and marriage".
The
actions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-
American Commission on Women (CIM) were also highlighted in the letter,
including action by CIM's anti-violence against women treaty monitoring
body, MESECVI, that categorized pro-life legislation as a "form of
state violence".
The
letter seeks an in-person briefing from U.S. State Department officials
who are responsible for Western Hemisphere Affairs and who represent
the U.S. at the OAS for a discussion on implementation of the
requirements of the OAS Revitalization and Reform Act of 2013 and on OAS
plans to align its work with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
The
U.S. provided one-third--41.7%--of the OAS' 2015 total budget. Changes
in this allocation which significantly impact OAS operations.
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International Pressure for Abortion
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Conference in Paris: 'SRHR in the 2030 Agenda - A Strong Start'
Pro-abortion elitists joined pro-abortion NGOs from throughout Europe in Paris for a conference--A Strong Start-Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the 2030 Agenda--hosted
by French IPPF affiliate Le Planning Familial with attendance by
French, EU and UN officials. The goal of the conference was "to
ensure that the SRHR community is ready to effectively engage in the
implementation, follow-up and review of the SDGs, and strategically use
them to advance our advocacy on SRHR in a global perspective."
A
featured speaker on 2030 Agenda was the Executive Director of UNFPA,
Babatunde Osotimehin, who associated himself with attendees tweeting: "We won't succeed in achieving the #GlobalGoals without continuing to advance the #SRHR agenda."
Arthur
Erken, Director of UNFPA's Division of Communications and Strategic
Partnerships also presented on the 2030 Agenda. Twitter provides insight
into his remarks: @arthurerken: the US Congress has unbelievable impact on #srhr globally; The #SRHR agenda
is under threat, we urgently need to reach out those that are not with
us @ArthurErken @UNFPA#EuroNGOs2016;@arthurerken says we need to do a
lot more work to build support for #SRHR and to counter growing
opposition
The French Minister of Families, Children and Women's Rights, Ms. Laurence Rossignol, set social media abuzz with her venomous anti-prolife words. Tweets included:
Bold speech by Minister Families, Children &Women's Rights:
groups fighting abortions=militants seeking control of women's bodies
#EuroNGOs2016;
French min talks of need of EU countries to abide by basic rights such as right to safe abortion #srhr #SDGs #EuroNGOs2016.
The
elitist plan targets countries in Africa for advance of SRHR with
promotion of access to abortion a major feature including through
financial support to US-based Ipas. The plan states that France funds
Ipas "to improve access to safe abortion in francophone countries in West Africa" and sees a need for continued funding to Ipas in order to achieve inclusion of abortion in health systems: "More resources will be necessary to re-energize efforts to include comprehensive abortion care in health systems across West Africa."
UNFPA is partnering with France on the strategy: "UNFPA
is a strategic partner for France on issues of sexual and reproductive
health and rights, especially in francophone Africa." The French Strategy is very clear on its intent to seek broader access to abortion and its inclusion in health systems: "Intensify
political dialogue on access to safe, legal abortions in multilateral
bodies as well as in bilateral dialogue with partners... Abortion is
legal under certain conditions in most francophone countries in West
Africa. However, in practice, access to abortion is rare and it is often
not included in public health care services."
EuroNGOs Chair Tania Dethlefsen explained the urgency of the conference and the issues challenging SRHR activists:
"Ensuring that the SRHR agenda is fully implemented, both inside
and outside of the new goals, will require broad-based progressive
support...Europe's united and progressive voice is needed more than ever
to maintain a strong push for a clear SRHR agenda within this new
global development architecture."
"However,
European support for SRHR in the future is by no means guaranteed. The
rise of conservative parties shows that we cannot take hard-won gains on
sexual and reproductive health for granted."
Read more about the conference here.
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Focus on the United Nations
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Latin America: Implementation of Pro-Abortion Montevideo Consensus
The
meeting was hosted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC) and was tasked with analyzing a proposal of
indicators for statistical follow-up to the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus,
considered to be the most radical population and development agreement
in the world. The promotion of access to abortion and the overturning of
pro-life laws are evident in Point #42:
"Ensure,
in those cases where abortion is legal or decriminalized under the
relevant national legislation, the availability of safe, good-quality
abortion services for women with unwanted and unaccepted pregnancies,
and urge all other States to consider amending their laws, regulations,
strategies and public policies relating to the voluntary termination of
pregnancy..."
The
final version of the indicators will be adopted by CRPD at its third
session, to be held in El Salvador in 2017. With Mexico as Chair, the
members of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference are
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Paraguay, Puerto Rico,
Uruguay and Venezuela.
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UNFPA Targets 10 Year-Old Girls
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today released its flagship report
State of World Population 2016 (SWOP 2016) centered on the lives of 10-year-old girls. UNFPA believes: "The world's future will be determined by the fate of its 10-year-old girls". It intends to focus on this age group in order to achieve the
According to the report, "An estimated 125 million 10-year-olds are alive today, part of the largest number of young people in human history." This group has been labeled the so-called
'SDG Generation' for its highly anticipated role in the elimination of
poverty, achievement of economic growth, and improved health and
well-being for all by 2030 when they will be young adults in the
workforce.
SWOP
recommends "Key Investments to empower girls, give them choices" that
includes "through comprehensive sexuality education" and "through access
to sexual and reproductive health information, services and supplies,
including contraceptives." Abortion is considered to be a "reproductive
health service".
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Legislative News
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El Salvador: Ruling Party Proposes Bill to Remove Abortion Ban
A bill introduced
in El Salvador's national Congress seeks to legalize abortion in the
pro-life country. The proposed legislation would permit abortion in
cases of rape or trafficking, life of the mother or if the unborn baby
has life limiting disabilities. The bill is sponsored by the ruling
leftist party, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) and
needs 43 of the 84 votes in Congress for passage.
The FMLN has 31 seats. Pro-abortion activists are using a petition and
letters in order to convince at least 12 other deputies to support the
bill.
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Ireland: Government Blocks Vote on Abortion
The Government blocked a vote in the Dáil on
a bill by Ruth Coppinger requesting a referendum to repeal the Eighth
Amendment of the Irish Constitution. The Eighth Amendment gives an equal
right to life to the mother and to the unborn child, making nearly all
abortion illegal. A
joint statement from the Coalition Government explained its desire to
wait until the Citizen's Assembly deliberating on abortion completes its
work and is reviewed by the Special Oireachtas Committee processes. The
Government also stated that "when a decision is being made in the
Dáil on the outcome of the Citizens' Assembly and Special Oireachtas
Committee processes, all members of the Government, and all deputies
supporting the Government, will exercise their votes freely in
accordance with their consciences." Ms. Coppinger expressed her disagreement with the government decision stating "By
the time the Citizens' Assembly reports back, the Oireachtas Committee
sits and then a bill is passed through both houses, the earliest
opportunity for a referendum will be late 2018 or early 2019, by that
stage this government may not be in power."
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UK: House of Lords Debates Bill to Ban Abortion for Disabilities
The
UK House of Lords debated a bill to prohibit abortions for
disabilities. The legislation is sponsored by Lord Shinkwin, who has a
severe disability himself. Lord Shinkwin said that based on the
Department of Health's standards, he would be "better off dead" because
of his disability. Lord Shinkwin criticized the department's "eugenic
screening programme" and its screening to "search and destroy" babies
with disabilities when a disability is detected. He lamented that the
mother's womb has become an increasingly dangerous place. Several
peers also argued for the bill, calling for a change in attitudes to
support people with disabilities and improve their lives, not end them.
Lord Shinkwin also requested a personal meeting with the Health
Secretary along with individuals with Down's Syndrome and their families
before non-invasive prenatal screening is introduced in the National
Health System. The full debate can be viewed here.
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Canada: Parliament Opposes Bill to Recognize Unborn Victims of Violence
Canada's Liberal government defeated
Bill C-225 that sought to protect pregnant women and their unborn
children from violent crimes. "Cassie and Molly's Law", named for a
mother and her unborn daughter murdered in 2014, was sponsored by MP
Cathay Wagantall who explained that bill would have filled a gap in the
Criminal Code where there are no current provisions to protect pregnant
women from criminal offenses. Despite a legal opinion clarifying that
this legislation would not affect abortion policy, Liberal MPs defeated
the bill by a vote of 209-76. "This vote tells us that our Members
of Parliament are unwilling to take a small step in increasing
consequences for violence against women in Canada," said Mike Schouten, director of WeNeedaLaw.ca. "They
continue to ignore cries for justice and instead allow fear of the
abortion discussion to colour their decisions regarding women's health
and safety."
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EU: PACE Again Votes against Surrogacy
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has voted
against legalizing surrogacy. This vote was the third attempt by
Belgian Senator Petra de Sutter to normalize and regulate the industry.
The European Parliament has called surrogacy "exploitation of the female
body and her reproductive organs" and banned it in 2011 and 2015.
Surrogacy also commodifies children and violates the UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child. The effort was defeated by a narrow bipartisan
majority. "The votes of the socialist party, and this bipartisan
victory, clearly show that there is nothing religious or ideological in
condemning surrogacy. It is a matter of human dignity," said Nicola Speranza, Policy Officer of the European Federation of Catholic Family Associations (FAFCE).
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Executive News
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Malta: Morning-After-Pill Made Available Over-the-Counter
Malta's Medicines Authority has announced
that the morning-after pill (MAP) will be made available
over-the-counter and without a doctor's prescription in the pro-life
country. The decision contradicts a recent joint parliamentary committee
decision that the MAP should require a doctor's prescription. "We
looked at all the recommendations made by the parliamentary committee
but have decided that to ensure that there is efficacy, the
contraceptive will be made available over-the-counter," said
Medicines Authority chief Anthony Serracino Inglott. Abortion advocates
who had circulated a petition and organized a protest in support of the
change in policy were praised for their efforts by Nationalist Party
leader Simon Busuttil, who celebrated the announcement, despite having
previously supported the parliamentary committee's decision.
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France: Plans to Ban Pro-Life Websites
The French government has announced plans
to ban pro-life websites if found guilty of "deliberately deceiving"
women. Website owners could face a $30,000 euro fine and two years in
prison for violations. The policy targets websites such as ivg.net, "l'interruption volontaire de grossesse" or "voluntary interruption of pregnancy." Spokeswoman Marie Philippe explained the IVG website is for "women
who suffer from an abortion who finally find a place here to express
their pain, ideologically denied in our country. These women receive
support and the opportunity to be recognized and understood in their
pain." The
website provides information about abortion methods, risks, shares
stories from post-abortive women and advertises a crisis phone line for
women facing an unplanned pregnancy.
Ms.Laurence
Rossignol, Minister of Families, Children and Women's Rights unleashed
hate-filled remarks toward those who seek to ensure that pregnant women
are informed on the facts of abortion stating, "These people are a
minority. They are fanatics. So you have to limit their impact on
society, and I do not know what the future holds." The new policy would lump pro-life sites with pro-anorexia and pro-terrorism websites which are already banned.
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Norway: Foreign Women Seeking to Abort Healthy Twins
Norway's Ministry of Health will permit foreign women seeking to abort healthy pregnancies of multiples to abort in its hospitals. "All
women, regardless of whether they are Norwegian or foreign women
residing in Norway have the same right to abortion and fetal reduction,"
said Norway's Directorate Torunn Janbu. Women will not be required to
give a permanent address, opening the country to abortion tourism. The
Ministry's decision disregarded concerns from doctors, who said elective
abortion of one twin increases risks to the health and life of the
remaining twin and the mother. "We have not found any medical benefit from this," Dr Birgitte Heiberg Kahrs, a specialist in fetal medicine at St Olav's Hospital in Oslo. "On the contrary, it exposes the second child in the womb to danger as the abortion risk increases."
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Thailand: Pro-Life Laws to be Eased to Permit Abortion for Zika Cases
Thailand has announced
it will permit abortions in cases of Zika infection, due to its
perceived link to the birth defect microcephaly. Current law in the
Buddhist nation outlaws abortion except in cases of rape and to save a
mother's life, within the first trimester. The new policy will extend
that window to 24 weeks for Zika cases. There are not any specific tests
to diagnose microcephaly except for ultrasound; however, Thailand is
considering screening all pregnant women for the disability. There have
been 392 confirmed cases of Zika in Thailand since January, including 39
pregnant women.
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Judicial News
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Croatia: Court Will Rule if Abortion Law is Constitutional
Croatia's Constitutional Court has announced plans to review
the constitutionality of the country's abortion law. The move comes
twenty five years after the request for review was initially filed in
1991 by the Croatian Movement for Life and Family. The court's new
president, Miroslav Separović, said the time is right for the court to now rule on the issue. "I
think that today Croatia is mature enough as a state for the
circumstances to have changed, and it is time for the Constitutional
Court to finally make the decision," said Separović
. The court plans to consult experts in the medical field, family law,
international law, EU court decisions, and NGOs. Croatia legalized
abortion in 1978 in the "Law on Health Care Measures for the
Implementation of the Right to Freely Decide on Giving Birth to
Children".
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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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