PO Box 20203, Washington, D.C. 20041
2008 July
PNCI ALERT
Deception Used to Bypass Pro-Life Laws
PNCI urges all pro-life lawmakers to be cautious of the term “menstrual regulation” (MR) as it is used to disguise the performance of abortions in countries that prohibit and restrict abortion. Common in the U.S. prior to the legalization of abortion on demand, “menstrual regulation” refers to the emptying of the uterus and is often performed with the hand-held abortion device, the manual vacuum aspirator (MVA). “Menstrual regulation” is called a method of family planning or fertility control by pro-abortion NGOs and others.
The National Abortion Federation, a professional association for abortionists, admits: “In the developing world menstrual regulation persists as a crucial strategy to circumvent anti-abortion laws. In Bangladesh, for example, although abortion is illegal the government has long supported a network of menstrual regulation clinics. Some other countries allow menstrual regulation because it presumably takes place without a technical verification of pregnancy.”
According to the UN listing of abortion policies for Bangladesh : “No approval is required in the case of menstrual regulation, as the procedure is considered a family planning method rather than an abortive technique. Menstrual regulation may be performed, within eight weeks of the last menstrual period, by non physicians on an out-patient basis.” The Bangladeshi government also refers to the procedure as “an interim method for establishing non-pregnancy” and trains women called “family welfare visitors” to perform abortions up to eight weeks of pregnancy in rural family care centers.
All countries that protect women and unborn children from the violence of abortion must be alert to this pro-abortion tactic that allows nurses and midwives to perform abortion as “menstrual regulation”. With the increased availability of uterine contracting medications for abortion such as Misoprostol/ Cytotec it can be expected these abortion pills will also be used for “menstrual regulation” to bypass pro-life laws on abortion.
International Pro-Life Actions
Uganda: President Museveni Recognizes Value of Children to Help Development
President Yoweri Museveni has recognized the importance of a growing population in order to achieve economic transformation for Uganda. He has stated that the birth of children is not a problem but an opportunity to address the developmental needs of the country. A new National Population Policy will target social transformation and sustainable development. President Museveni stated: "The wealth of a nation is not in the soils and stones. It is in its people, its population. I do not agree with the alarmism over the high rate of population growth."
"What we need to do is to educate our children, give them skills and create an enabling environment for employment and job creation. That way, we shall create wealth, make savings and Ugandans will invest and spur economic productivity and growth," he added. PNCI applauds President Museveni for his vision in seeking life-affirming solutions to development and sustainability.
International Pressure to Change Pro-Life Laws
Re-Naming Abortion to Make It Less “Uncomfortable”
A Nigerian parliamentarian has asked the pro-abortion community to “find an alternative name for abortion” since the word “abortion” makes people including lawmakers “uncomfortable.” Saadatu Sani, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) made her plea at a dinner hosted by pro-abortion NGO, Ipas, the marketer of the hand-held abortion device. Abortion in Nigeria is morally and socially repugnant to most Nigerians, including parliamentarians, making the need to re-name the destruction of unborn children critical to their success. PNCI reports a growing concern among pro-abortion advocates that they must re-package abortion in order to overcome moral and religious objections. One such tactic is to refer to an induced abortion as a “miscarriage”.
CEDAW Experts Push on Abortion
Recent country reviews by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) again featured an emphasis on national abortion laws. The nations of Lithuania, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom- in regards to Northern Ireland- were pressed on their nations’ accessibility to abortion, contraceptives, and “reproductive health rights.” Though the CEDAW treaty does not include or recognize any so-called “right to abortion”, committee experts continue to push the issue and manipulate provisions of the CEDAW treaty to pressure countries to implement laws that increase access to legalized abortion. CEDAW continues to be used by pro-abortion advocates in campaigns to overturn pro-life laws in legislatures and courts worldwide.
Legislative News
Brazilian Deputies Again Overwhelmingly Defeat Abortion Legislation
Legislation to legalize abortion in Brazil has met another defeat in the Chamber of Deputies’, this time in the Constitution, Justice and Citizenship Committee. Parliamentarians voted against decriminalization of abortion in a sweeping 57-4 vote after a fervent debate led by pro-life Deputies. The lawmakers reflect the majority opinion of Brazilians who are opposed to decriminalizing abortion. Source: Reuters (In Portuguese)
Philippines: House of Representatives Debates Population Control Bill
A consolidation of reproductive health bills known as "An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development, and For Other Purposes" will soon be considered in the Filipino Congress . The legislation would create a new entity, the Commission on Population, which would institutionalize population control including artificial birth control, sex education and a two child per couple birth limitation. It is feared that the measure will lead to legalized abortion. The Catholic Church is leading opposition to the bill and Speaker Prospero Nograles states that the fate of the bill is uncertain and remains “anybody’s ballgame”.
US: House Condemns Forced Abortion in China
The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously voted to condemn human rights abuses in China leading up to the Olympics including forced abortion and sex selection abortions. Congressman Chris Smith, co-Chairman of the House Pro-Life Caucus sponsored an amendment that calls upon the Chinese government to abandon its coercive population policies stating: “China’s coercive population control program has imposed unspeakable violence, pain and humiliation on hundreds of millions of Chinese women, many of whom suffer lifelong depression as a consequence. Massively violated by the state, it is no wonder more women commit suicide in China than anywhere else in the world.”
Smith continued, “ As a direct result of the government’s one child policy, tens of millions of girls are missing today—dead due to sex selection abortions—creating a huge gender disparity. The lost girls of China is gendercide. With its heavy reliance on forced abortion, involuntary sterilization and ruinous fines for illegal children, the policy, in effect since 1979, constitutes one of the greatest continuous crimes against humanity in human history,” he said. Legislative initiatives to end the targeting of women and girls for death and violence because they are female—known as gendercide—are critically needed worldwide.
Ecuador: New Constitution Abandons Protections for Unborn Children
The Constituent Assembly , a special assembly elected to draft a new constitution in Ecuador, has passed a new constitution which contains several contentious provisions, including the elimination of the protection of life "from the moment of conception.” Large protests have taken place as pro-life and pro-family advocates express great disapproval of aspects of the constitution which change long standing protections for life and family. The constitution uses UN expressions and language on reproductive health which are widely known as deceptive tactics to advance legal abortion. A public referendum is set for September 28.
Czech Republic: Parliament Will Consider Assisted Suicide Measure
A proposal to legalize assisted suicide has been introduced and is set for debate to allow the Czech Republic to follow the examples of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland in allowing the practice. Czech Republic Human Rights Minister Džamila Stehlíková is against the measure. "The only acceptable solution to the position of the severely ill and dying is not the choice between suffering and death at the hands of a doctor, but a lessening of suffering and the provision of a helping hand. The dying and severely ill need quality, accessible care and not legalized euthanasia, which contradicts the spirit of a doctor's profession,” he stated. Sponsors of the measure are organizing a nationwide campaign to encourage Czech citizens to contact their MPs in support of the bill.
Executive News
US: President Bush Proposes New Rules to Ensure Conscience Protection in Health Industry
A new initiative soon to be issued by the Bush Administration would further protect the conscientious objection of health professionals from discrimination in the workplace. The new rules would require all health facilities receiving federal funds to sign “written certifications,” ensuring that health professionals who object to abortion and abortifacients will not suffer professionally because of their moral and/or religious beliefs. Institutions that fail to comply with the anti-discrimination rules will lose their federal funding. Pro-abortion groups are strongly protesting the proposal.
Northern Ireland: Department Tries Again to Legalize Abortion Through the Back Door
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) has again issued guidelines intended to clarify when abortion is legal in Northern Ireland. However, abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland and the National Assembly rejected similar guidelines last year. Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life explains, “… they [the guidelines] will change the interpretation of the law. These guidelines will effectively legalise abortion through the back door, allowing abortion on demand, right up to birth.” The DHSSPS issued the revised guidelines this month, while the Assembly is adjourned for recess.
Germany: Chancellor Merkel Opposes Every Form of Assisted Suicide
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken out in very strong language against assisted suicide. She stated that she is against “every form of assisted suicide”, regardless of the circumstances. Germany's Health Minister Ulla Schmidt reinforced the position by declaring: "I reject this path categorically," she said. "The correct path is to offer assistance to those who are dying instead of helping those free from terminal illness to commit suicide." The remarks come in response to the suicide of a 79-year-old woman who was advised in her suicide by former Hamburg Justice Senator Roger Kusch, a euthanasia proponent. Legislation by Merkel’s party to penalize the act of assisting in a suicide by a prison term of up to three years is soon expected.
Judicial News
Ireland: Challenge to Abortion Law Goes to European Court of Human Rights
The case of three women challenging Ireland’s pro-life laws is going to be heard by the European Court of Human Rights. The women claim their rights were violated when they had to travel out of the country to procure an abortion. The Irish Family Planning Association has orchestrated the case, making it part of its strategy to bring legalized abortion to Ireland.
Issues
Self-Induced Abortion Just a Click Away
Self-induced abortion is a growing and alarming trend, made even more so with the availability of dangerous abortion pills online on sites such as Women on Web . The British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published review of clients found that of 400 women, 11% needed to procure a surgical abortion following use of the medication. Not only illegal, this puts women’s health and lives at risk. Women on Web is distributing abortion drugs online primarily to countries that prohibit abortion.
Media Used as an Abortion Tool
The UK’s Guardian newspaper, in a clearly biased pro-abortion action, recently announced the 16 finalists in its journalism contest for articles on key development issues surrounding achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The topics, winning articles, and sponsors of the contest reveal the pro-abortion bias of the contest and is another example of pro-abortion efforts to manipulate the news to advance their abortion agenda. Sponsors of the contest include Marie Stopes International and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), both leading pro-abortion advocates in developing countries. UK Secretary of State Douglas Alexander stated, “ I am delighted that the Department for International Development is able to support this new and original competition together with The Guardian. Informed and balanced Journalism is crucial to bringing international development issues to the public's attention.”
The so-called “balanced” contest listed a number of subjects contestants could choose from including Safe and Unsafe Abortion. Two of the professional finalists wrote about abortion in pro-life countries in Latin America: Safe and Unsafe Abortion in Argentina and No More Abortion in Nicaragua.
The finalists will travel with Marie Stopes to research and write in-depth newspaper feature articles to be published next November.
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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. PNCI is a project of Life Issues Institute.
All news articles include links to original source. PNCI cannot verify that the information contained in the news articles is accurate. info@pncius.org
