The Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues (PNCI) is a non-profit, non-partisan global project committed to networking members of democratically-elected legislatures in efforts to advance respect for the inherent value, worth, and inviolable dignity of every human being from the first moment of existence. To advance this goal, PNCI will periodically issue a Parliamentary Network E-News designed to provide lawmakers, and those who work with them, news from various sources on the international threat to pro-life laws and current legislative and judicial actions on critical life issues challenging parliamentarians around the world.

Elected officials and policy makers in countries considering the legalization of abortion are advised to take warning from the newly published UN report World Economic and Social Survey 2007—Development in an Ageing World and continue to protect the future of their country- their unborn children. This economic and social report presents the challenges in the twenty-first century as a result of worldwide population ageing that will occur more rapidly in developing countries in future decades that it did in developed countries brought about by increasing life expectancy and reduced lifetime fertility. Lifetime fertility in many developing countries is now less than 2 children per woman and is thus below the level required for population replacement over the long run.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon comments in the report, “The prospect of a smaller labour force having to support an increasingly larger older population poses a major challenge. Smaller families and persistent poverty may affect the provision of care and income security at old age, particularly in developing countries, where the family is the main caretaker of older persons.”

A British Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Nirj Deva blasted a recent European Union report on the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) for including the promotion of abortion through use of the terms “access to reproductive health” and “reproductive and sexual rights” which are often interpreted to include abortion. Mr. Deva urged MEPs to vote against the controversial language explaining: “It is clear that certain UN-backed and EU-backed non-governmental organizations which are heavily promoting abortion in the third world are more interested in culling people than in reducing the relatively far smaller figure of deaths through unsafe and illegal abortions." Source: C-Fam

Speaking at the Kenya Catholic HIV/Aids Conference, Catholic Archbishop John Njue expressed the Catholic Church in Kenya’s opposition to ratification of the Maputo Protocol, the first international treaty to include a right to abortion. Implementation of the Maputo Protocol would violate the nation’s sovereign law, where in Kenya, abortion is illegal. Additionally, Catholic Bishops of Central Africa (Rwanda, Burundi, and DR Congo) have criticized the Protocol for disregarding important African values, including life and family. Source: All Africa

The European Union and the United Nations have continued to exert heavy pressure on Nicaragua since a law banning abortion was passed in October 2006. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation for the Netherlands Bert Koenders recently announced that his country and the EU will discontinue future economic assistance to Nicaragua if the country does not reverse the law. Koenders further threatens to consider withdrawing assistance from all countries that do not permit legalized abortion. Source: CNA

Since the legalization of abortion in the first trimester in Mexico City, US abortion advocate Ipas (which sells the hand-held abortion suction machine) has been working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Health to implement the new abortion law. A news release from Ipas details the organization’s entrenchment in Mexico and its close relationship with the Ministry of Health. Ipas also states that it is working with the Legislative Assembly and others to launch a broad media campaign to publicize the new abortion law and the availability of abortion services. Source: Ipas

It has been revealed that a coalition of numerous organizations known as the Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance (RHRA) is seeking to advance legal abortion in Kenya. The coalition is actively seeking to implement its strategy to advance “sexual and reproductive health rights” within the next five years through dialogue and changes in abortion law and policy. The coalition is coordinated by Planned Parenthood Federation of America and members include the International Federation of Women Lawyers Kenya (FIDA-Kenya) and Kenya Human Rights Commission, among others. Source: All Africa

In its latest round of meetings, CEDAW members questioned several countries’ abortion laws during discussions of contraception and maternal mortality. Delegates from Pakistan and Sierra Leone responded to questioning stating their opposition to abortion, calling it “murder” and stating that “children were a gift from God.” Source: C-FAM

Despite great opposition from many of its members, Amnesty International (AI) has adopted a policy supporting the decriminalization of abortion. The group, which only released this policy publicly after it was revealed by pro-life sources, claims they are not supporting abortion as a human right. Political and church leaders around the world have denounced Amnesty’s decision, and members are revoking memberships. Source: LifeSite

UK- 40^th Anniversary of Abortion Act Sets Stage for Renewed Abortion Debate

Members of the British Parliament are preparing for renewed debate on abortion when legislation regulating human embryo research and fertility treatment is considered this fall. The government sponsored Human Tissue and Embryos Bill will open the UK’s 1967 Abortion Act, which legalized abortion on demand in England, Scotland, and Wales, to further discussion and amendment including extending the legalization of abortion to Northern Ireland. Pro-life MPs have offered legislation to institute waiting periods, record-keeping, and provide counseling for women on the psychological effects of abortion, and will seek to reduce the 24 week time-limit on abortions. Source: The Guardian

The Mozambique Ministry of Health is pushing for the legalization of abortion under new legislation officially introduced earlier this year. If the law is changed, it will allow for the expansion of legal abortion, and for foreign donors to fund them. Dr Eunice Brookman-Amissah, the Ipas vice president for Africa, advocates not only changing the law on abortion but removing stigma and taboo around abortion as well. The proposed bill was recently approved by the Council of Ministers, and now awaits consideration by the parliament to become law. Source: All Africa

As promised, President George W. Bush vetoed legislation passed by the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives and Senate overturning his restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research. President Bush has also promised to veto legislation that reverses a policy known as the “Mexico City Policy,” which prohibits funding from going to groups that promote or perform abortion overseas. While the House of Representatives recently passed a foreign assistance spending bill that removed these pro-life provisions, it does not have the support of at least two-thirds of the Members to sustain the promised presidential veto. Source: LifeNews

All news articles will include links to original source. While PNCI cannot verify the information contained in the news articles is accurate, the sources used are reputable and trustworthy.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this email list, please email: info@pncius.org.

The Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues (PNCI) is a non-profit, non-partisan global project committed to networking members of democratically-elected legislatures in efforts to advance respect for the inherent value, worth, and inviolable dignity of every human being from the first moment of existence. To advance this goal, PNCI periodically issues the Parliamentary Network E-News to provide lawmakers, and those who work with them, news from various sources on the international threat to pro-life laws and current legislative and judicial actions on critical life issues challenging parliamentarians around the world.

Peru

is facing a new attempt by abortion advocates, funded by large foundations based in the

such as Ford Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or under the auspices of the United Nations Population Fund, to legalize abortion by implementing a “protocol for therapeutic abortion” under the guise of “women’s health”. The immediate goal of this strategy is to pressure the executive branch, especially the health ministry, to accept and implement the protocol. The Peruvian Congress has consistently rejected efforts to legalize abortion.

Carlos Polo of the Population Research Institute warns that this strategy is being used by the abortion lobby throughout Latin America. He explains, “Once such a ‘protocol’ is in place, the abortion provision is gradually widened in practice. Soon, using the World Health Organization’s definition of ‘health’, all abortions become ‘therapeutic’ abortions. The constitutional prohibitions on abortion are rendered impotent.” (LifeSite)

Following the legalization of abortion in Mexico City this spring, abortion advocates are looking to the Dominican Republic as the next nation to legalize abortion. At a July meeting of the Chamber of Deputies, Sergia Galván of the pro-abortion group Collective Woman and Health cited “unsafe” abortion and poor maternity mortality as the reasons for making abortion legal in the country. Raimundo Rojas, the Hispanic outreach director for National Right to Life, noted, "Latin America continues to be under attack from pro-abortion forces who want to see the same type of abortion on demand for any reason in those countries as we have here in the United States." (LifeNews)

Africa: Maputo Protocol Push for Abortion Conflicts with African Culture

The African Union’s Maputo Protocol, the first international treat that recognizes a right to abortion, was condemned by Archbishop Robert Sarah, Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, at a recent Vatican meeting. He condemned the efforts as dangerous to African culture: “This Protocol is the slow but sure destruction of fundamental African values: respect for life, the importance of the family, motherhood, fertility and marriage. All of these values are ignored by the Protocol”. However, many government officials still mistakenly believe that “safe” abortion is the solution to reducing maternal deaths. (All Africa)

Effective this month, controversial provisions of South Africa’s new Children’s Act have outraged pro-life and family activists who fear it will encourage sexual activity in young children. Specifically, the new law authorizes 12 year olds to be given contraceptives, and permits them to access abortion and HIV testing without parental consent. Taryn Hodgson, national co-coordinator for African Christian Action, expresses great concern: "Twelve-year-old children do not have the maturity to make decisions regarding their sexual conduct," she says. Hodgson calls the legislation "outrageous" for allowing girls as young as 12 to have abortions.

However, Marie Stopes representative, Paul Cornelissen, CE of the Marie Stopes Clinic SA, said that the new legislation was necessary as children did not have access to information and education about issues such as contraception and abortion. The entirety of the new law, which is expected to be passed by Parliament early next year, seeks to bring

South Africa

in line with international conventions which require that the conventions’ principles be incorporated into sovereign national law, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on Children’s Rights. (All Africa)

Attention remains focused on the United Kingdom as preparations continue for the consideration of the government sponsored Human Tissue and Embryos Bill, which will open the UK’s 1967 Abortion Act, legalizing abortion on demand, to discussion and amendment. The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group is actively disseminating information and raising awareness of the importance of this legislation among the Members of Parliament and the public. A recent inquiry by pro-life MPs Jeffrey Donaldson and Ann Winterton resulted in assurances that the UK government was not seeking to extend the Abortion Act to Northern Ireland. Secretary of State Paul Goggins responded to the parliamentarians in writing, “The Government have no plans to amend the law on abortion in

Northern Ireland

," and expressed the government’s belief that the Northern Ireland Assembly was the best forum to discuss the issue. (Belfast Today)

US: Pro-life Congressman Concerned

China

Exporting Tainted RU-486, Wants Investigation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued recalls on several imported Chinese products for contamination, however, it has yet to warn the public about the possible tainting of the chemical abortion pill RU-486, which is exclusively manufactured in China. U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, Co-Chairman of the bipartisan House Pro-Life Caucus, recently sent a letter to the FDA requesting it investigates Danco, a Cayman Islands company that was established solely for the purpose of selling its only product, RU-486, in the United States, and its connection to Hua Lin Pharmaceuticals, the Chinese manufacturer. "As the serious problem with tainted products coming out of China becomes more clearly evident and the deadly effect of RU-486 on women's lives also becomes more increasingly evident, I ask that you take a serious and comprehensive look at the companies involved in the marketing and manufacture of RU-486," stated Rep. Smith in the July 3 letter.

Lending further evidence to the credibility of this concern, the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has now ordered Hua Lin Pharmaceuticals to suspend selling Methotrexate, a cancer drug which is also used in abortion clinics for chemical abortions, for possible contamination. There have been a documented six deaths of women in North America from RU-486, and hundreds of reported side effects. (Life Site)

In a giant step towards providing real solutions to maternal mortality, Kenya Health Minister Charity Ngilu has removed all fees from public health centers for delivery fees. This move, the first phase of ongoing health care reforms, is estimated to significantly help the 1.2 million women who are pregnant each year. “Delivery under the care of a trained health worker is one of the key interventions for reducing maternal and newborn deaths,” Mrs. Ngilu said. It is estimated that one in 200 women die each year due to pregnancy and childbirth complications.

Implementation of Portugal’s new law permitting abortion for the first 10 weeks has been slow as physicians refuse to perform abortions. With hospital doctors not performing abortions, the Health Ministry is looking to contract physicians in private practice to do so. "Neither the referendum nor the law were able to change doctors' attitudes. That's why the Health Ministry recently initiated negotiations to 'privatise abortion,'" gynecologist Miguel de Oliveira e Silva said. (Interpress Service)

Spain Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has announced that every Spanish family with a new baby will receive €2500 ($3980). In his State of the Union Address, Zapatero explained, “To keep progressing,

Spain

needs more families with more children and families need more support to have these children.” In doing so,

Spain

joins France and Scandinavia as the latest nation to offer incentives to increase the country’s low birth rate and address the growing problem of ageing population. (NEWS.com.au)

Dr. Tabare Vazquez, the first left wing president elected in Uruguay has denied his support to legalize abortion despite rumors that circulated in July. Through an Official Communiqué found at the Presidency web page, President Vazquez stated that he has not received new proposals to decriminalize abortion in the last few months and has not changed his mind. (source)

This month, South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled that an unborn child is not considered a human being until its mother goes into labor. Ruling on a case where a mid-wife was charged with negligent homicide after a baby was delivered stillborn two weeks overdue, the Court stated, "The mother did not have labor pains, which is the beginning of childbirth, thus the unborn baby cannot be recognized as a human being." Commenting on the overall legal position of the unborn child, Presiding Judge Park Si-hwan declared, "Right now, it is too early to change Korea's legal point of view that an unborn child is not a human being." (LifeSite)

Mexico’s Supreme Court decided to hear the case brought by Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission and the Attorney General challenging Mexico City’s law legalizing abortion in the first trimester, but has yet to set a court date. In the meantime, radical feminists report that city officials and abortion advocates are actively working together to implement the new law. Groups such as Marie Stopes International are conducting campaigns to inform the public of the new law and make abortion more accessible. Ipas is working to train doctors in abortion techniques. Mexico City Health Secretary Manuel Mondragon said that in the first month, 230 abortions had been performed. (Women’s Enews)

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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The Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues (PNCI) is a non-profit, non-partisan global project committed to networking members of democratically-elected legislatures in efforts to advance respect for the inherent value, worth, and inviolable dignity of every human being from the first moment of existence. To advance this goal, PNCI periodically issues the Parliamentary Network E-News to provide lawmakers, and those who work with them, news from various sources on the international threat to pro-life laws and current legislative and judicial actions on critical life issues challenging parliamentarians around the world.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is urging parliamentarians who are members of its “Partnering with Parliamentarians” program on population, development and reproductive health to attend the Women Deliver conference set for October 18-20 2007 in London. The Women Deliver conference is “a landmark global conference that will focus on creating political will to save the lives and improve the health of women, mothers and newborn babies around the world.” One of the proposed solutions to maternal mortality, according to the conference overview, includes “access to comprehensive reproductive health services, including family planning and abortion-related services.”

Over 2,000 world leaders in finance, health and development will gather and organizers of Women Deliver are funding delegations from 30 selected nations including: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Congo, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Philippines, and Uganda. Each country will send two government ministers, (especially health and planning ministers), a parliamentarian, and a key civil society leader.

PNCI believes the inclusion and focus on the violence of abortion as an acceptable solution to maternal mortality questions the true intent of the conference and urges pro-life advocates worldwide to be on the alert for the proposed laws and policies that may originate in this conference. Source: UNFPA

Amnesty International (AI) has elected to join the ranks of abortion advocates by abandoning its “abortion neutral” position in favor of a policy that seeks universal access to abortion at a meeting of delegates from 75 countries in Mexico City. The press release issued by AI details its “support for the decriminalization of abortion, to ensure women have access to health care when complications arise from abortion, and to defend women's access to abortion, within reasonable gestational limits, when their health or human rights are in danger.”

This decision caused 31 year AI member, Bishop Michael Evans of the Diocese of East Anglia,

England

, to cancel his membership. In so doing Bishop Evans noted that the preamble to the 1989 International Convention on the Rights of the Child states that: “the child... needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.”

Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone expressed his regret that the measure was approved and spoke out against the violence of abortion and all forms of violence against women, “The inhuman violence of rape must be stopped, and society must be mobilized to protect the dignity of women.” Source: CNA

Despite aggressive efforts, a recent Time article featured the pro-life resistance abortion advocates have encountered in promoting abortion throughout Latin America. While pro-abortion efforts have recently advanced with the legalization of first trimester abortions in Mexico City and the availability of the morning-after pill in Chile, countries such as Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Bolivia have stalled these efforts, and in some cases countered with laws and policies that further protect life.

The emergence of leftist parties has failed to translate into liberalized abortion policies, due in part to an emphasis on economic reform, the influence of the Catholic Church, and distrust for the “imperialism” of Western feminism. Bolivia, for example, which is currently drafting its new constitution, has pro-abortion promoters on the defense to maintain the status quo as language protecting life and rendering all abortions illegal is considered. Source: Time

PNCI applauds this effective example of parliamentarians working with pro-life NGOs to contact members of Parliament seeking support for pro-life position on key legislation.

The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group has issued a toolkit to disseminate information and raise awareness of the government sponsored Human Tissue and Embryos Bill. This legislation, which will be considered this fall, would legalize the creation of animal-human hybrids and human reproductive cloning, and open the UK’s 1967 Abortion Act (which legalized abortion on demand) to discussion and amendment. UK-based Christian charity Care highlights the MPs’ “Summer Call to Action” and urges pro-lifers to help parliamentarians prepare for this legislation.

Following a court mandated period for public participation, South Africa is currently holding hearings on the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Act, which the parliament may reconsider next winter. A recent hearing featured on opposition to the bill, which would permit nurses to perform abortions and would fail to provide any conscientious protection for nurses or doctors who do not wish to participate in the procedure. Doctors for Life International, who is leading the pro-life opposition to the bill, also protests that, “No provision is made to ensure that women understand the serious psychological and physical complications surrounding abortion.”

Conversely, pro-abortion groups are pushing to further expand abortion access during discussions of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Act. In response to the Court’s request for public participation, Health Systems Trust, a healthcare NGO in South Africa, is calling for abortion for HIV mothers. Claiming that access to legal abortion has improved maternal mortality, Health Systems Trust further claims that abortion services and HIV care should be integrated. Source: All Africa

Spain

: Congresswoman Demands: “Normalize Abortion as Public Health Benefit”

PNCI notes how the actions of one parliamentarian can sometimes result in widespread news coverage.

A leftist congresswoman has asked the Spanish government to “normalize abortion as a public health benefit” in response to radical feminist claims that there are “numerous obstacles” present in Spanish law that inhibit access to abortion. (Abortion is allowed in Spain for exceptions that include physical and mental health.) Carme Garcia of the United Left party also seeks to remove abortion from the Penal code. Source: CNA

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush highlighted the importance of faith in political leadership at a Catholic conference this summer saying: "I don't think you can separate your personal faith from your public actions, and I don't think you need to. I think transparent, openly expressing your faith is a good thing.” Speaking at Regnum Christi’s Youth and Family Conference in Georgia, Bush also emphasized the importance of partnership between government and faith-based groups, funding crisis pregnancy centers, and respecting the dignity of all people. Source: LifeSite

Demographics: Asia Warned About Ageing Population and Changes in Family

The challenges to policy makers as a result of ageing populations and changes to the traditional family structure, especially as it relates to the care of the elderly, was the topic of a seminar in Bangkok for government officials throughout Asia and the Pacific sponsored by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission, Population Division. Asia and the Pacific is the fastest ageing region in the world and the UN report World Economic and Social Survey 2007- Development in an Ageing World (see PNCI E-News Advisory July 1) projects that fifty-fine per cent of the world’s older population will reside in this region in 2025.

The participants were warned by the United Nations Secretariat that the rate of ageing was very rapid in developing countries and that they have less time to adapt than developed countries. Government officials were presented with over twenty specific policy recommendations and were advised that they must develop new ageing-specific programs and policies to provide for the needs, care, income, health, welfare, and security of an unprecedented large ageing population. Source: Sunday Observer

Maternal Mortality: “Love Letter” an Innovative Solution to Reduce Maternal Deaths

Uganda

’s Jinja district has demonstrated how informal and innovative methods can make a significant difference in saving women’s lives. The “love letter” project is being credited for Jinga’s reduced levels of maternal and infant deaths. The love letter project features a letter urging fathers to participate in prenatal care. The letter highlights important pregnancy topics, care for pregnant women, and encourages fathers to attend antenatal clinics with their wives, where they are looked after themselves and treated as an important part of the maternity process. Source: All Africa

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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While abortion is legal and widely available in South Africa, Health Systems Trust believes there has been too little focus on abortion for HIV positive women. HST senior researcher Marion Stevens was critical that “abortion has fallen through the gaps” in HIV/AIDS treatment, “Clinic services usually only give women information about ways to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies and maintain a healthy pregnancy.”

Abortion advocates such as HST are pursuing the integration of sexual and reproductive rights that includes access to abortion, to HIV/AIDS programs. A conference of over 500 strategic players from over 40 countries in Africa met last October at an international conference in Ethiopia entitled: Linking Reproductive Health, Family Planning and HIV/AIDS Programs in Africa, whose sponsors included UNFPA, Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Packard foundation, the African Union, UNAIDS, World Health Organization and USAID.

The conference stated that while most governments have policies encouraging integration of sexual and reproductive rights with HIV/AIDS challenges such as laws restricting abortion remain an obstacle. One of the conference’s recommendations was the need to present policy makers with: “Information on integration regarding controversial issues, such as youth sexual and reproductive health and rights and abortion.”

Abortion advocates will hold a conference in London on October 23-24 2007, “Global Safe Abortion”, designed to be a catalyst for moving abortion forward in countries where the lives of unborn children are protected or where abortion is restricted. Marie Stopes, principal sponsor of the conference, acknowledges that “…in certain countries, those who oppose abortion rights are becoming more vocal and are successfully undermining both rights and access.” Legal change is the goal and conference topics include: Barriers to Access, Mobilizing the Grassroots, Scaling up Safe Abortion Services in Health Systems, Advocating for Reform, and Confronting the Opposition.

Among the speakers at the conference are lawmakers and policy advisors from around the globe such as: Christine McCafferty, MP, UK, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health, Dr. Fred Sai, Ghana, advisor to President and former president of International Planned Parenthood Federation, Dr. Arnoldo Benito Toruño, Nicaragua, advisor to the Ministry of Health, and Dr. Malcolm Potts, U.S., professor of population at the University of California at Berkeley and founder of two US-based organizations advancing abortion—Ipas and Family Health International.

(It is interesting to note that both Ipas and Family Health International, along with IntraHealth and Population Services International—the world's second-biggest provider of contraceptives after Planned Parenthood International— all originated from the same source, the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina. Another organization established there is Adam and Eve, an adult entertainment business selling explicit sexual materials through the mail.)

IPPF’s Annual Report Reveals its Strategy to Promote Abortion throughout Latin America

International Planned Parenthood (IPPF) recently released its annual report on the Western Hemisphere (available in English and Spanish) highlighting claims of millions of illegal abortions performed each year in countries with pro-life or abortion restrictive laws. In the report, IPPF reveals its strategy for promoting abortion in these countries, namely through counseling for post-abortive women, HIV programs, and promotion of contraceptives and the morning-after pill. They hope to incrementally open the door to liberalized abortion policies through these smaller initiatives. Further, the numbers of illegal abortions IPPF cites are questionable estimates as most countries do not keep records on abortion statistics. Source: LifeNews

Nicaragua’s parliament has voted to reaffirm the law it passed in 2006, penalizing all abortions in its penal code, removing exceptions for “therapeutic abortions,” and imposing stronger sanctions on those who participate in abortions. Nicaragua’s actions come in response to years of pressure by abortion advocates to liberalize the country’s pro-life laws, despite Nicaragua’s constitutional protection of the right to life from the moment of conception. Source: LifeSiteNews

Dominican Cardinal Urges Lawmakers to Resist International Push for Abortion

Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez called on lawmakers in the Dominican Republic to resist international pressures and supposed payments to liberalize the country’s abortion law. The Cardinal urged parliamentarians to remain “consistent” on the issue, and to focus on the fundamental problems of poverty and the violence that ensues from it. Presidential candidate Amable Aristy Castro of the Christian Social Reformist Party voiced his support for the Cardinal’s comments, saying, “Modernity and progress must not be symbolized by homicide, killing, the death penalty, which is what abortion is for the unborn.” Source: CNA

Argentine Congress Considers Legislation to Establish Abortion as “Right”

The Argentine Congress recently held hearings on proposed legislation that would offer further protection to “non-punishable” abortions, and establish abortion in the cases of the life or health of the mother and rape as a “right.” Under the current penal code, abortion in these instances is not legal, but is not punishable. This legislation, which would amend the existing penal code, violates Argentina’s constitution which prohibits all abortions and respects the right to life from the moment of conception. The Chamber of Deputies' Public Health Commission has approved the legislation, which now awaits consideration by the Penal Legislation Commission, and then the full Chamber. Source: LifeSiteNews

Poland

Insists “Right to Life” Discussion Include Abortion and Euthanasia

As the European Union prepares to mark World Day against the Death Penalty on October 10^th, Polish delegates have brought attention to the need to remember other violations of the “right to life”- abortion and euthanasia. Krzysztof Bosak, a Polish member of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly said, “I think it is hypocritical on the part of the EU to promote abortion, destructive lifestyles and euthanasia and at the same time to pretend to care about the right to life in only one case - death penalty… Maybe it is time to establish a European Day of Life to protect also the weakest and most innocent - children before birth, especially those diagnosed with a disability… But also to protect the disabled who are already born, the sick and the elderly - to save them from the tragedy of death on demand, or euthanasia." Source: LifeSiteNews

President Bush, for the sixth year, will withhold US funds from UNFPA due to its support of China’s coercive policy that mandates forced abortions, sterilizations, infanticide, and heavy fines on women who become pregnant or give birth without official permission.

Representative Christopher Smith (R-NJ) led pro-life debate in the US Congress charging that UNFPA has been "the chief apologist and cheerleader for China's coercive one-child-per-couple policy" since the program began in 1979. “Despite numerous credible forced abortion reports from impeccable sources…above all, from the women victims themselves, high officials at UNFPA always dismiss and explain it all away. UNFPA has funded, provided crucial technical support, and, most importantly, provided cover for massive crimes of forced abortion and involuntary sterilization," Smith said.

Meanwhile, the Spanish government’s contribution to the UN Population Fund was criticized by the president of the Spanish pro-life group, Fundacion Vida, Conchita Gonzalez-Aller. Gonzalez-Aller said her organization “laments this contribution of $7 million dollars to an entity opposed to the human right to life. One of the components of this right is the freedom of each woman to decide how many children she should have, without being coerced by institutions that impose undesired family planning methods, or having to resort to abortion."

Following a June conference where officials from ten African nations expressed support for legal abortion in their countries, Vice President Gilbert Bukenya stated that he does not support legalizing abortion in Uganda. He declared, “As a member of Parliament, I will definitely oppose any proposal to adopt such abnormal and immoral practices.” Calls for liberalization of abortion laws fail to address the underlying solution of improving maternal health care as a way of reducing maternal deaths. Source: Life News

Speaking in Austria, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged European nations to bolster birth rates with more child-friendly policies and rejected the notion that abortion is a “human right.” The Pope explained, “It was in Europe that the notion of human rights was first formulated. The fundamental human right, the presupposition of every other right, is the right to life itself… This is true of life from the moment of conception until its natural end. Abortion, consequently, cannot be a human right -- it is the very opposite. It is a deep wound in society.” Pope Benedict’s comments are timely with the recent move by Amnesty International to change its policy to one supporting a right to abortion, and as demographic reports indicate a declining birth rate in parts of Europe, raising concerns for the support of an ageing population.

Mexico

Supreme Court Begins to Review Mexico City Abortion Lawsuit

The Mexico Supreme Court began gathering evidence for its review of the law passed by the legislative assembly of Mexico City that allows all abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. The vote in the City assembly was contested by the national government which argued that the chamber does not have the legal authority to approve bills on health issues. In addition, it is argued that the new law violates the constitution which affords legal protection for unborn children from the moment of conception. Supreme Court Justice Sergio Salvador Aguirre has begun gathering expert opinions from a team of five scientists and researchers on the question of when life begins and whether an unborn child can be considered a human being. The Catholic news report suggests, “The judge’s questions appear to be an attempt to illustrate, by analogy, that human dignity does not depend on health, age, dependent status, or the state of one’s mental or physical capacities, but is above all these circumstances and deserves absolute respect and protection.” Source: California Catholic Daily

A lawsuit seeking to change India’s law banning sex-selection abortions was recently rejected, with the court ruling the ban was necessary to prevent the abortion of girl babies. Court documents state, “Sex selection is not only against the spirit of the Indian Constitution, it also insults and humiliates womanhood. It violates a woman’s right to life.” According to a 2006 report by UNICEF, 7,000 fewer girl children are born each day due to sex determination and the resulting abortion and infanticide of the female babies. Conversely, the report indicated that a higher percentage of boys are being born in 80 percent of India’s districts, and furthering a significant gender imbalance. Source: Life News

The Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues (PNCI) is committed to networking members of democratically-elected legislatures in efforts to advance respect for the inherent value, worth, and inviolable dignity of every human being from the first moment of existence. PNCI issues the Parliamentary Network E-News to provide lawmakers, and those who work with them, news from various sources on the international threat to pro-life laws and current legislative and judicial actions on critical life issues challenging parliamentarians around the world.

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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Efforts to promote legalized abortion to governments worldwide were renewed and energized by two recent conferences in London. Focusing on strategies to target governments to change laws and policies on abortion, the outcome documents from both these conferences are set to appear at various UN and inter-governmental meetings as a way of pressuring lawmakers and government officials to make abortion legal and accessible.

The Global Safe Abortion Conference, organized by abortion advocates Marie Stopes International and Ipas, was attended by representatives of over 60 countries.

According to Ipas: “Presentations and discussions at the Global Safe Abortion Conference addressed access to safe abortion through the lenses of public health, human rights, gender equity and cost-effectiveness. Attendees examined strategies for promoting reform of restrictive laws, policies and practices concerning abortion, the promise of medical-abortion technologies, and ways to make safe abortion services, along with contraceptive counseling and methods…regardless of legal context.”

The conference opened with an analysis of global abortion advances: “Country after country is legalising…Mexico City has given life, light, and hope to women in Latin America. Access to safe abortion is increasing… Medical {chemical} abortion can transform our world, and dramatically increase access.” Then, it ended with A Global Call to Action for Women’s Access to Safe Abortion that seeks “comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and safe abortion services in both the public and private sectors.”

The Women Deliver conference, organized by various NGOs and UN agencies claimed it would focus on ways to reduce maternal deaths, but rather focused on ways to advance legal abortion as part of reproductive health. A new International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights was launched to hold governments accountable for policy changes that increase access to abortion. (C-Fam)

Speakers were direct in the inclusion of abortion as part of reproductive health. Dr. Francisco Songare, Director of the UN’s Partnership for Maternal and Newborn Health, was clear of this linkage in his speech to the conference when he urged that the focus in reducing maternal mortality “must be sexual and reproductive health – abortion – and without taboos!” (C-Fam)

A letter of complaint from pro-life NGOs was sent to the UN charging that the conference was more about promoting abortion than caring for the real needs of women “…the conference agenda was so preoccupied with promoting the ideology and practice of abortion that the genuine healthcare needs of women and children were virtually ignored in the plenary sessions and overwhelmed in the panel discussions.” A copy of the letter is available in both English and Spanish.

Amnesty International (AI) has begun to implement its controversial decision to promote abortion as a “human right” by urging the Dominican Republic to de-criminalize or legalize abortion. Instead of focusing on selected exceptions to abortion as Amnesty had claimed, it is clear AI seeks complete legalization. Source: LifeSite

The countries and citizens of Latin America are being pressured and deceived by pro-abortion groups promoting an agenda of abortion. Raimundo Rojas, the Hispanic outreach director for National Right to Life, responded to a recent report by U.S.-based Human Rights Watch which claims that pro-life laws in Latin American, particularly Nicaragua, hurt women and constitute human rights abuses. "They (these groups) claim to be pro-woman and that their interest is in lowering maternal mortality by making abortion the law of the land, when in fact they know that lowering maternal mortality numbers requires access to clean water, prenatal care centers and adequate medical supplies," he said. Source: Life News

Members of Northern Ireland’s Assembly have decided to scrap guidelines issued by its Health Department which would have essentially brought “abortion on demand” to Northern Ireland. Responding to members’ concerns, Health Minister Michael McGimpsey clarified that the guidelines were not intended to extend the UK’s Abortion Act to Northern Ireland, and that the issue was rather a matter for the UK Parliament in Westminster to decide. New drafts of the guidelines are expected next year. Praising the passage as a victory for the unborn, pro-life group Precious Life Director Bernadette Smyth said, "the passing of this motion has sent out a clear, unanimous message to the Government in Westminster, and indeed to the world, that the people of Northern Ireland will stand for nothing less than the protection for our unborn babies and their mothers from abortion."

Philippine lawmakers have introduced new legislation, House Bill 3773, the Integrated Reproductive Health and Population Reduction Bill, that promotes a national reproductive health policy, which includes the legalization of abortion disguised as a “solution” to development concerns. The Catholic Bishops Conference (CBCP) of the Philippines has responded to the legislation, disagreeing with proponents who claim the bill intends to lessen abortion: “Legislation in public office has caused a tremendous danger to family life in the contentious congressional bills that propose to legalize abortion, prostitution and divorce.” Source: Manilla Times

Legislation to legalize abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy failed to pass the Uruguayan legislature this month when the vote resulted in a tie. Members of the ruling Broad Front coalition support the bill and are exploring different strategies to get the legislation passed into law without the approval of the President, who has promised to veto the legislation. Hoping to take advantage of a “surprise vote,” media reports revealed another strategy to hold the vote when key Senators would be absent from parliament. The legislation is expected to be up for a vote again, though it is yet to be determined when.

Documents recently released reveal that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was aware of and covered up the health and safety violations of the Chinese manufacturer of the abortion drug RU-486. This past summer, Congressman Chris Smith called for an investigation of Danco, a company established in the Cayman Islands solely for the purpose of selling its only product, RU-486, in the United States. It was revealed that the Chinese manufacturer of RU 486, Hua Lian Pharmaceutical Company, failed to pass FDA safety inspections. The documents also reveal that the FDA knowingly participated in the “off label” use of Cytotec, an ulcer drug that is used in conjunction with RU-486 for chemical abortion. Use of RU-486 has resulted in the death of at least six U.S. women. Source: LifeSite

The rights of medical professionals to refrain from participating in abortions and the dispensing of abortion-inducing medications such as misoprostol have recently received international attention. Lawmakers can use their positions to protect and advance laws and policies that protect the rights of physicians and pharmacists to refuse to participate in abortion-related activities.

Following the legalization of abortion in the first trimester this past summer, Portugal’s Health Minister Antonio Correia de Campos has ordered the Portuguese Medical Association to revise its code of ethics and remove prohibitions on abortions. The order has met with great criticism from physicians and legal experts, and the Portuguese Bar Association denounced the move as “arrogant and overbearing.” The code states that "doctors must maintain respect for human life from its beginning", and "the practice of abortion constitutes a grave ethical failure".

Similarly, the government of Chile has levied million-dollar fines on three pharmacy chains for refusing to sell the abortion pill known in the country as "Post Day." Chile’s Minister of Health claims the pharmacies are legally obligated to sell the pill, and is requiring the companies to explain their reasons for not carrying it. The matter is currently being considered by the courts.

Meanwhile, a recent ruling by a U.S. court in the state of Illinois affirmed the rights of pharmacists to opt out of distributing the morning after pill.. The court upheld the right of pharmacists to object to dispensing the drug under the Health Care Right of Conscience Act. The ruling followed the 2005 edict issued by Illinois, governor requiring all pharmacists to dispense the medication.

Joining the ranks of China and India, Vietnam has emerged as another nation with a significant gender imbalance in favor of males. Due to sex selection abortions the imbalance of boys to girls has appeared so quickly that population experts are worried that the imbalance will lead to increases in human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Recent estimates put the national birth ratio at 120 boys to 100 girls. The UNFPA representative in Vietnam blamed the missing girls on a strong preference for sons, access to determining the sex of unborn babies and readily available abortion services. Vietnam has one of the highest abortion rates in the world estimated at 1.35 million abortion a year, equal to the number of live births, with the number of girls aborted far exceeding boys. Source: Asia News Net

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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PNCI mourns the passing of long time pro-life advocate and PNCI advisor U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde. An articulate orator, Rep. Hyde committed his 32 years in Congress to various human rights causes especially the right to life of the unborn child before retiring last year. Just a few weeks ago President Bush honored Mr. Hyde with the highest U.S. civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, explaining that Hyde “used his persuasive powers for noble causes.”

One of Hyde’s greatest accomplishments, the Hyde Amendment, stopped U.S. tax dollars from funding millions of abortions and saving countless lives. PNCI is grateful for the leadership of this great statesman and deeply appreciated his friendship and support.

Rep. Chris Smith, Co-Chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus commented on the passing of his friend and colleague, “In the greatest human rights issue of our time—the right to life, Henry Hyde will always be known as a champion and great defender of children and their moms." Source: Life News

May the following quote by Henry Hyde during a House floor debate on abortion be a source of inspiration to all.

“This is not a debate about religious doctrine or even about public policy options. It is a debate about our understanding of human dignity, what it means to be a member of the human family, even though tiny, powerless and unwanted.

“We are knee-deep in a culture of death...Look, in this advanced democracy, in the year 2000, is it our crowning achievement that we have learned to treat people as things? Our moment in history is marked by a mortal conflict between a culture of life and a culture of death. God put us in the world to do noble things, to love and to cherish our fellow human beings, not to destroy them. Today we must choose sides.”

Pro-Life Parliamentarians gathered in Santiago, Chile for the first meeting of the Worldwide Front of Pro-Life Parliamentarians and Governors. Legislators, officials, and NGOs from 17 countries attended to discuss current challenges to pro-life laws and share successful strategies. The Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues assisted in the preparations and participated in the meeting. Legislators were urged to form pro-life fronts in their respective countries. PNCI is available to assist lawmakers in these efforts. The Worldwide Front is based in Santiago at Santo Tomas University.

International Medical Conference Exposes Serious Consequences of Abortion A medical conference was held in Lisbon, Portugal that examined the various psychological and medical consequences of abortion. Sponsored by the Women in Action Association, the event brought together psychologists, therapists, obstetricians, and biologists from the United States, Britain, and Portugal to discuss and present scientific evidence of the harm abortion causes mothers.

Talks focused on topics that included: “Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and Abortion”, “Research on Post-Abortion Mental Health”, “Abortion and Breast Cancer”, and “Post-Abortion Premature Birth Risk”. One US study cited during the conference showed that from 20-30% of women suffer some type of post-abortive emotional consequence. The dangers of the use of RU-486 for chemical abortion were also discussed. Dr. Margarida Castel-Branco of Portugal stated that the effects of the abortion drug include loss of blood between 9 and 45 days, fever, tiredness, vomiting, and diarrhea. She explained, “It’s a drawn-out process with complicated effects, for which medical supervision is necessary.” Source: LifeSite

At a recent meeting of the EU Council of Ministers Ireland’s Foreign Minister and his delegation successfully challenged EU support for the African Union’s Maputo Plan of Action on Universal Access to Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health Services that includes changing policies and laws to provide abortion. The Irish diplomats requested that references to the Maputo Plan be removed from a draft EU-AU action plan to be discussed and agreed to at a summit in Portugal next month.

An Irish spokeswoman said, “The EU has established positions on sexual and reproductive health and rights matters,” referring to an agreement not to fund abortion overseas. “The maintenance of these positions has been confirmed by all EU states.” Portugal as current holder of the EU presidency negotiated a compromise where the EU AU text will state any EU support for the Maputo Plan of Action must be undertaken “within the context of EU policies.”

It is believed that such language will curtain EU funding for programs to implement the Maputo Plan that pertain to abortion. Source: Life News

Over 70% of delegates to the 13^th National Conference of Health rejected a radical health proposal which sought to recognize abortion as “a public health problem” to be solved through legalization of abortion. Clovis Boufleur of the Ministry for Children expressed a clear pro-life view shared by a majority of Brazilian people that “Abortion does not resolve the health problem in Brazil.” Source: Catholic News Agency

Legislation has been introduced in the House of Commons that recognizes the unborn child as a victim of crime if he or she is killed or injured during an assault against the mother. The sponsor of the Unborn Victims of Crime Act, Ken Epp, explains, “This is all about protecting the choice of a woman to give birth to her child.” Mr. Epp explains the need for the legislation further, “How do you tell these grieving families that the child they loved and lost never even existed in the eyes of the law?” An October poll found 75% support among women for legislation that makes the injury or death of an unborn child during an attack on the mother a separate crime. Source: LifeSite

Nicaragua’s National Assembly held firm to its pro-life position and rejected for a third time legislation to allow abortion exceptions in the country’s new Penal Code. The defeat of abortion liberalization was a strike for the international abortion lobby which exerted intense pressure on lawmakers and on the Supreme Court to reinstate exceptions to the law prohibiting abortion. Source: Catholic News Agency

A bill to allow nurses and midwives to perform abortion failed in South Africa’s House due to an absence of legislators. No further action is expected since Parliament has completed its session for the year. This is a significant pro-life victory since non-physician abortion is a regulation change advanced by international abortion advocates. Tseliso Nkuebe of Doctors for Life International explained “The bill does not recognize either a doctor or a nurse’s right to refuse to do an abortion based on their conscientious objection.” Source: Life News

Legislators in the region of Andalusia rejected a proposal to establish assistance for pregnant women and provide alternatives to abortion. The president of the Spanish Forum for the Family, Benigno Blanco, reacted to the rejection and described the action as “unfortunate that ideological prejudices have led the majority of Andalusian parliamentarians to be unconcerned with the problems of pregnant women. It is a true shame that they insist on abortion as the only solution for a woman who becomes pregnant in difficult situations.” Source: Catholic News Agency

The Senate in Uruguay approved legislation to legalize abortion on demand for first 12 weeks of pregnancy under the guise of sexual and reproductive health. Without a debate on abortion itself the measure was approved with a definition of health that allows for broad access to abortion. Health was defined as “the general state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not only the absence of illness or ailments”.

Abortion supporter, Senator Monica Xavier, explained that measure deliberately linked abortion to “aspects related to sexuality and reproduction” thus preventing a “black and white debate”. President Tabare Vasquez has repeatedly promised he will veto the legislation. Source: Life News

Holy See: Pope Benedict Tells Catholics to Defend Life, Assist Women, and Resist International Abortion Pressure

Pope Benedict XVI met with bishops from Kenya and instructed Catholics globally to do everything possible to defend unborn children from abortion and to welcome post- abortive women back to the Church. The Pope made it clear that more than opposition to abortion is needed—tangible support must be offered to women in need.

The Pope stated that Catholic communities “must offer support to those women who find it difficult to accept a child, above all when they are isolated from their families and friends.” Pope Benedict also warned the bishops of Kenya and Catholics in other countries to resist outside pressure from the United Nations, other countries, or pro-abortion organizations to change laws restricting abortion in violation of respect for all members of the human family.

“While this understanding of Christian family life finds a deep resonance in Africa, it is a matter of great concern that the globalized secular culture is exerting an increasing influence of local communities as a result of campaigns by agencies promoting abortion,” the Pope stated. Source: Life News

A remarkable new discovery in the use of ethical reprogramming of stem cells has enabled scientists to create the functional equivalent of embryonic stem cells directly from adult skin cells. It is widely believed that this discovery makes the destruction of embryos for research obsolete.

The discovery was announced by both scientists in the US and in Japan. James Thompson of the University of Wisconsin documented the production of pluri-potent human stem cells without any use of embryos, eggs, or cloning. Thompson, the first to remove stem cells from an embryo in 1998, has declared he will no longer engage in destructive embryonic stem cell research. In fact he declares that the days of stem cell research using embryos are over.

Princeton’s ethicist Robert George who served on President Bush’s Council on Bioethics declared about this discovery, “From the beginning we have been arguing that we must do everything we can to advance the cause of stem cell science but without sacrificing our respect for nascent human life and the principle of the inherent and equal dignity of each and every member of the human family. This latest news just goes to show that it really is possible.”

Commenting on the recent discovery, Father Thomas Berg of the Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human Person stated, “The science of pluripotent stem cell research can move forward toward therapies and cures in a manner that is free of any ethical concerns.” Source: Weekly Standard

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