PO Box 20203, Washington, D.C. 20041
2009 April Volume 3, No 4
Focus on Africa
African First Ladies Health Summit Focuses on Reproductive Health
The African First Ladies Health Summit 2009 was recently held in Los Angeles with broad support from US foundations and NGOs. The Summit was designed to focus on the role of a First Lady and ways she can use her position to advocate for issues. One of the main objectives of the Summit was to: "Advance the health and prosperity of women and families by addressing high priority areas including but not limited to HIV/AIDS, malaria, reproductive health, and maternal and child health."
Numerous spouses of African heads of state and government attended: Ida Odinga, wife of Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga, and first ladies Laraba Tandja of Niger, Penehupifo Pohamba of Namibia, Thandiwe Banda of Zambia, Maria da Luz Dai Guebuza of Mozambique, Mathato Sarah Mosisili of Lesotho, Sia Nyama Koroma of Sierra Leone, Adelcia Barreto Pires of Cape Verde, Chantal Biya of Cameroon, Ana Paula Dos Santos of Angola, Inkhosikati LaMbikiza of Swaziland and Turai Umaru Yar'Adua of Nigeria. Delegations from six other countries attended the Summit: the Republic of Congo, Gambia, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, South Africa and Uganda.
While issues of health for women and children and the education of girls were addressed, it appears that the Summit was heavily influenced by pro-abortion NGOs promoting the Maputo Plan of Action for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. The Maputo Plan states that it "seeks to take the continent forward towards the goal of universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in Africa by 2015".
The Vice President for the Africa Alliance of pro-abortion NGO IPAS , Dr. Eunice Brookman-Amissah, former Minister of Health, Ghana, spoke on the Maternal Health Panel and advocated for the legalization of abortion as part of a comprehensive health strategy . Melanne Verveer, President Obama's Ambassador for Global Women's Issues, addressed the Summit and offered US support for the objectives of the Summit, including reproductive health which the Obama administration believes includes abortion.
Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown , spoke about the need to reduce maternal deaths and referred to future international meetings as venues for action. These include the May meeting of African health ministers at the African Union, the meeting of the G8 nations in Italy in July, the UN General Assembly in New York in September, and a meeting in November in Tanzania organized by the White Ribbon Alliance. The White Ribbon Alliance is an NGO which opposed the pro-life policy of President Bush which restricted US funds from international organizations which performed or promoted abortion.
Brown pointed to the work in national governments as the most vital in the effort to reduce maternal deaths, "While we need our campaign to keep up the pressure on the global stage, what is vital to the long overdue success for reducing maternal mortality will be the work that is done at the national level, where the grassroots at the bottom and the global activity at the top meet to turn policy in to a living reality for families and communities."
PNCI expresses outrage that the legalization of abortion in African countries is being considered an "acceptable solution" to reducing maternal mortality by some First Ladies, heads of state, heath ministers and others. Abortion will rob African nations of their greatest treasure-their children, and violate the most basic human right-the right to life. PNCI urges pro-life lawmakers to do all they can do to offer life-affirming initiatives to reduce the rate maternal mortality.
Sarah Brown ended her speech with the words, "Please let us work together to make sure maternal mortality is a problem of the past and not our children's future." PNCI responds, "Please let us work together to make sure maternal mortality is a problem of the past and that all children have a future." Measures that save the lives of mothers must also save the lives of their children, both born and pre-born.
Pro-Abortion Gains Averted
UN: Delegations Say No to Abortion
At a recent meeting of the UN Commission on Population and Development, pro-life delegations successfully kept abortion out of the Commission's final document. Iran, St. Lucia and Malta led the protest of the inclusion of the term "sexual and reproductive health and rights," which has yet to be included in a negotiated UN document. Malta's ambassador noted the increasing difficulty in agreeing to UN resolutions due to the ongoing push to expand "reproductive health" to include abortion. The delegations of Chile, Comoros, the Holy See, Ireland, Peru, and Poland also opposed remaining "reproductive rights" language in the document and emphasized these could not be used to "support, endorse or promote" abortion.
Summit of the Americas: No IPPF Revisions
The fifth Summit of the Americas met this month and issued a Declaration of Commitment that was free of language promoting abortion as suggested by IPPF. Fears of a push for abortion promoting language prior to the Summit ran high amid plans by International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) to include the term "sexual and reproductive health services" in the Declaration. IPPF, which also counted on President Obama's support, had voiced its intention to use the document as a stepping stone to advance abortion in the Caribbean and Latin America. While the IPPF language was not included in the final document, pro-life concerns remain with new references to the undefined term of "health care" which pro-abortion NGOs and the Obama administration may attempt to use to advance abortion.
Legislative News
Secretary of State Clinton: Reproductive Health Includes Abortion
In a hearing before the U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed that the U.S. defines reproductive health to include abortion. Responding to questions from Rep. Chris Smith, Secretary Clinton acknowledged a change in values and priorities from the previous pro-life administration and a new focus that includes access to abortion. "It is evident that Mrs. Clinton and President Obama want to force the tragedy of abortion upon women around the world especially and including in countries where democratically elected leaders want to continue to protect their unborn children," Smith said. Further, Rep. Smith questioned Secretary Clinton's receipt of Planned Parenthood's Margaret Sanger award and her acceptance speech praising Sanger, a noted eugenicist and racist.
Mexican States Continue to Say No to Abortion
More and more Mexican states are passing constitutional amendments protecting life from conception, demonstrating a consensus against abortion and putting pressure on the federal government to pass a national law protecting the right to life. The actions of now ten states come in response to Mexico City's 2007 law legalizing abortion on demand.
Korea Tightens Abortion Law
Legislation is set to be introduced in the Korean National Assembly to reduce the term limit for abortions from 28 weeks to 24. The legislation, which was proposed by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, may also remove hemophilia, epilepsy and other genetic diseases from the conditions for which abortion is allowed. The ministry initiated the legislation in an effort to remove the disparity between the law and current knowledge on when a baby can survive outside the womb. Father Casimir Song Yul-sup, secretary of the Pro-Life Activities of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea acknowledged that while it is small, the legislation is a step in the right direction. "I hope the revision becomes the first step toward establishing a culture of life," he said.
Dominican Republic Approves New Constitution Protecting Life
The Dominican Republic has a new constitution that protects life from conception. Despite strong pressure from pro-abortion groups, the constitution passed with a majority vote of 167-32. Article 11 of the new constitution states that "the right to life is inviolable from conception until death. The death penalty cannot be established, pronounced, nor applied, in any case." Catholic and Evangelical Protestant churches had actively launched campaigns in support of the new constitution and are delighted with its passage. Pro-life leader Dr. Gene Antoni celebrated the victory in the face of pro-abortion pressure, "This overwhelming victory serves as an example to the other Latin countries fighting to protect life, that we can win and we must win because the lives of little people are at stake."
Judicial News
EU Court Will Hear Case Against Ireland's Pro-life Law
The European Court of Human Rights has agreed to hear the case of three Irish women who traveled to Britain to get abortions due to the Republic of Ireland's pro-life law, and consequently claim their rights were violated. The Irish government is defending itself and countering that the case does not have standing to be heard in the EU court. American groups- Family Research Council (FRC) and Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)- have filed legal briefs in the case, which is also significant for the U.S. "This case is not only pivotal to Europe; it's pivotal to America. With greater frequency, the U.S. Supreme Court looks across the ocean to see what other countries are doing when considering its own cases. This case could be the Roe v. Wade of Europe," says ADF Chief Counsel Benjamin Bull.
Australian Teenager Faces Charges for Smuggling Misoprostol
A teenager in Australia is facing charges for using the uterine contracting drug Misoprostol to self-induce an abortion. Tegan Simone Leach and her boyfriend reportedly obtained the drug from a family member who bought it in the Ukraine and smuggled it into Australia. The couple used the Misoprostol tablets to obtain an illegal abortion. Misoprostol is increasingly self-administered for abortion, despite the risks and dangers associated with the drug. While medical abortion is legal in the country, it must be dispensed by pre-approved practitioners. Abortion advocates are using the case to change Queensland's law and remove all abortion restrictions.
Issues
Sex Selection Abortion
China: Sex Selection Abortion Results in Dangerous Gender Gap
Chinese parents under the nation's strict one-child policy continue to prefer sons and abort daughters, further increasing the already imbalanced gender gap . As the disparity steadily increases, researchers say China could face dangerous spikes in crime and other social problems in the future. Currently 119 males are born for every 100 girls, whereas in industrialized nations the ratio is 107 to 100. The researchers cited enforcement of laws banning sex-selection banning as a way to improve the trend. The city of Shanghai has shut down underground ultrasound labs and is offering more education and training opportunities for girls, which has reportedly led to a decrease in sex-selection abortion. However, at the same time, they are also seeing an increase in the abductions of boys . The rise in abductions is said to be fueled by couples desperate for a male heir. While exactly numbers are not known, it is estimated that tens of thousands of boys have been abducted in recent years.
************************************
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
