Parliamentary Network E-News

Volume 8
No. 10
November, 2014
 
International Pro-Life Actions

U.S. Congress Will Vote on Five Month Abortion Restriction

Landslide election victories in the U.S. resulted in Republicans taking control of the Senate while maintaining control of the House of Representatives. Pro-life majorities were elected to both chambers.

 

During post-election reorganization, pro-life Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky was unanimously elected by his Senate Republican colleagues to serve as Senate Majority Leader, the highest position in the Senate which determines the bills that are debated on the Senate floor. The Senate under Democratic control refused to allow debate on numerous bills passed by the House, including pro-life legislation.    

One of the first statements by Senator McConnell included the welcome news that the new Senate will vote on the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children at five months gestation and later from the pain of late term abortion methods. It is believed that if such a ban became law it would save 18,000 babies a year from abortion.

 

However, pro-life expectations need to be measured. While there will be a pro-life majority in the Senate, according to procedural rules 60 votes are needed to pass the legislation. The perception is that the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will be again be passed by the House, will receive a majority of 100 votes in the Senate but not the 60 needed for passage. The Senate vote will however show which senators hold extreme views on abortion which could help defeat them in the critical 2016 elections.  

 

The 2014 congressional election results were viewed as a defeat of the so-called "war on women" that was contrived by pro-abortion organizations and the Democratic Party to defeat pro-life candidates. Instead it backfired as candidates defended their pro-life positions and 18 pro-life women were elected to the House including the first black Republican Representative, Congresswoman Mia Love, and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, Elise Stefanik.    

 

Elected to the U.S. Senate was Joni Ernst who becomes the third pro-life woman senator.  A mother and former soldier who served as a company commander in Iraq, Ernst was criticized by Hillary Clinton who campaigned for Ernst's male opponent and stated, "I would also add, it's not enough to be a woman. You have to be committed to expand rights and opportunities for all women."  It seems that in Clinton's view support for abortion trumps military combat to bring freedom and democracy to women and men in Iraq.

International Pressure for Abortion

Georgetown Law Entity Co-Authors Document Targeting Conscientious Objection

A new publication revealing a global strategy to combat the use of conscientious objection (CO) in order to increase access to abortion was launched at an event at Georgetown Law. The new document, Conscientious Objection and Abortion: A Global Perspective on the Colombian Experience- English, Spanish- was co-authored by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University and Women's Link Worldwide. The publication looks at the decision by the Columbian Constitutional Court in 2009, T-388/09, which issued exceptions to Colombia's abortion law and limited the use of institutional conscientious objection and by health care providers.   

 

The event at Georgetown included representatives from IPPF and the ACLU. Tracy Robinson, Chair of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, also participated. Attendees reported that speakers equated conscientious objection with "torture" and "war crimes" and it was suggested that instead of the term "conscientious objection" the phrase "arbitrary refusal to care" or "refusal of services" should be used in an attempt to erode support for conscience protection.   

 

The publication details how abortion strategists seek to fabricate international standards to tightly restrict the use of conscientious objection for abortion in order to force health personnel to participate in the death-inducing act of abortion.

 

Included in the section "What Measures May Be Taken to Overcome These Barriers?" [to conscientious objection] the publication states:  

 

        In the governmental sphere (regulatory/legal), some 
        measures include the following:
  • Decriminalize and legalize abortion.
  • Incorporate abortion services into HSRR policies (so that abortion will not be considered an isolated practice that may be excluded from healthcare services).
  • Include abortion in healthcare educational curricula. This would allow abortion to be reframed as one of many medical procedures, all the while sensitizing healthcare professionals to the issue and preparing them to provide quality services.
  • Transfer normative and legal frameworks from domestic violence and gender violence into healthcare services (or strengthen these frameworks where it has already been incorporated into legislation). This would allow the refusal of services to be considered, for instance, as cases of institutional or obstetric violence.
  • Reward successes in legal abortion services.
  • Require malpractice policies to cover legal abortion procedures. Malpractice coverage would provide healthcare professionals with peace of mind and reassurance when providing the service.
  • Sanction abuses of CO or arbitrary refusals of service. Legal or administrative sanctions against professionals who fail to fulfill their duties would lend credence to existing legal frameworks and the defense of women's rights.
  • Improve financial incentives for professionals who perform surgical abortions as well as medical abortions.

The document also looks at the use of conscientious objection to the provision of contraception as illustrated in the U.S. case Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. The O'Neill Institute at Georgetown, a Catholic university, stated on its blog that it "proudly" announced the launch of the publication.

Focus on the United Nations

Shadow Reports Says U.S. Helms Amendment = Torture

The Global Justice Center (GJC) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) are accusing the U.S. of inhumane treatment for not including abortion in its foreign assistance programs. In a shadow report submitted to the UN Committee Against Torture, the GJC and OMCT said the U.S. policy restricting the funding of abortions overseas, known as the Helms Amendment, constitutes torture against pregnant victims of war rape. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), they claim that the U.S. is violating its commitment to combat torture and needs to amend its foreign policy.

 

"U.S. abortion restrictions on foreign assistance strongly contradict the object and purpose of CAT - this policy not only makes the struggle against torture less effective, but actively contributes to the suffering of rape victims and thus perpetuates ill-treatment," stated Akila Radhakrishnan, GJC's Legal Director. The shadow report

echoes an ongoing effort by international human rights bodies to push nations that have signed CAT to amend abortion laws and policies to increase access to abortion. The GJC credits its efforts to an increased recognition of the need for "safe" abortion services for war rape victims worldwide and a change in national governments' policies lifting abortion restrictions.  
Legislative News

UK: Parliament Votes to Clarify Law Against Sex-Selective Abortion

The British Parliament has approved a measure to debate the legality of sex-selection abortions in the context of the 1967 abortion law by a vote of 181-1. MP Fiona Bruce introduced the legislation citing the need for "urgent clarification" on the legality of sex-selective abortion after the British Medical Association said it was sometimes justified. After a sting investigation revealed it was happening in the U.K., the Crown Prosecution Service opted not to prosecute the doctors involved in illegal abortions. "The law does not, in terms, expressly prohibit gender-specific abortions," explained director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer.

 

The Department of Health then issued guidelines stating sex-selective abortions were against the law, however, the British Medical Association and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which provides over 60,000 abortions a year, claim the law is not clear and that the practice is permissible in cases. "It is a shame that this clarification is needed. Successive health ministers and even the Prime Minister have been very clear, they state that abortion for reasons of gender alone is illegal. The Prime Minister has described the practice as appalling but they are being ignored," said MP Bruce. Further action on the legislation is expected next year.

 

Additionally, a summons has been issued to a doctor accused of offering to authorize an illegal sex selective or "gender abortion". In the first case of its kind, 21 year old Aisling Hubert, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, launched a rare private prosecution of Dr. Prabha Sivaraman and a second doctor in Birmingham. The result is an order by the Magistrates' Court in Manchester for Dr Sivaraman to appear next month to face a charge of "conspiracy to procure poison to be used with intent to procure abortion, contrary to section 59 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861" as reported by Christian Concern. 

 

A recent survey by Christian Concern shows 80 percent of Britons support the prosecution of doctors who authorize abortions for gender and 84 percent said sex-selective abortion should be illegal.

Argentina: Congress Debates Bill to Legalize Abortion

The Argentine Congress has opened debate on legislation to legalize abortion following pro-abortion demonstrations in front of the Capital this past September. The Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Bill would legalize abortion on demand for the first trimester and require public funding for abortions. It would also permit abortion later in pregnancy in cases of rape, fetal disability, or health or life of the mother. Following a long heated debate, the Commission lacked a quorum and was unable to issue an official opinion. A positive opinion is needed in order for the legislation to advance. Members are calling for another meeting so the Commission can discuss the legislation further and issue an opinion.

Executive News

India: Government Proposes "One of the Most Liberal" Abortion Bills

The Indian government has proposed legislation- the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2014, (MTP) to raise the country's abortion limit to 24 weeks gestation from 20 weeks and permit midwives and homeopaths to perform abortions. The bill, drafted by the ministry of health and family welfare's maternal health division, comes after consistent lobbying efforts by pro-abortion NGOs. The legislation is said to be one of the most liberal abortion documents. "This is the biggest advancement of women's rights since the passage of the MTP Act in 1971," said Vinod Manning of abortion advocate Ipas. The Indian Medical Association strongly opposes the legislation, arguing that midwives and unqualified doctors are not equipped nor trained to perform abortions.

Religious News

Indonesia: Muslims Add Voice to Abortion Opposition

Indonesia's largest moderate Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has voiced its strong opposition to abortion at a recent conference. Aligning themselves with the Catholic Church, the organization said that abortion is illegal and morally wrong. While abortion is illegal in Indonesia, the Ministry of Health issued new regulations this year permitting abortion in cases of rape and the mother's life.

Issues

Sex-Selective Abortion an "Epidemic" Now Prevalent in Eastern Europe

Sex-selective abortion is happening at "epidemic" levels and is now prevalent in eastern European countries, where there is no previous history of it, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The practice has expanded to countries such as Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Research by UNFPA has shown that a strong prevalence for male births, an "abortion culture" left over from the Soviet era, and access to pre-natal sex determination technology is resulting in a high rate of sex selection abortions in the Caucasus region. In Armenia and Azerbaijan, 115 boys are born for every 100 girls, and in Georgia, 120 boys for every 100 girls, compared to a biological average of 105 boys to 100 girls.

 

The UNFPA estimates that nearly 93,000 women will be missing by 2060 in Armenia if nothing changes.  Luis Mora, chief of the UNFPA's gender branch, said the  spread of female feticide is "a warning". "Behind this situation there is a strong and critical warning about how gender inequalities, violence, son preference and other harmful practices can really become universal," said Mora.

 

PNCI notes that Mara Hvistendahl explained in her ground breaking book, Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men, that the practice of sex selective abortion was proposed in 1969 by the Population Council as a means of population control. Matthew J. Connelly, Ph.D., Professor, Columbia University, writes in Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population, that Planned Parenthood's head of research, Steven Polgar, promoted the idea of sex selective abortion urging biologists to develop a technique for pre-natal sex determination.

 

As the first generation affected by sex selection matures into adults, there are dire consequences as tens of millions of men cannot find wives leading to increased sex trafficking and forced bride selling; populations are aging with few daughters and daughters-in-law to care for elderly family members and there are fewer workers resulting in unprecedented challenges for governments. Read more on the PNCI website about this issue.


 
 
Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues
Advancing global respect and dignity for life through law and policy.

"How can the dream survive if we murder the children?"

 

Dr. Alveda King, niece of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. asks, "How can the dream survive if we murder the children?" In a recent
interview, the Director of African-American Outreach for Priests for Life shared her moving personal testimony of healing following two abortions and her now public crusade against abortion, particularly among the black community. "Almost one-third of the abortions that occur are done on the wombs of African-American women, yet we're only about 13 percent of the population," said King. For more on Dr. King's pro-life work, click here.

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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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