The Holy See in a statement to the UN General Assembly in New York stressed that the authentic advancement of women entails respect for their inherent dignity and affirmed the intrinsic dignity and worth of each and every person--from the very beginning of conception to natural death
The intervention was made by Cathy Murphy, adviser of the Holy See Mission on behalf of Archbishop Francis Chullikatt the new Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN who in a wide ranging statement, noted the establishment of UN Women and dealt with other issues such as violence against women, trafficking in women and children and issues surrounding pregnancy and motherhood.
The statement noted the recent Report of the Secretary-General on “Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula” (A/65/268) which
“calls to mind the attention that countries must continue to devote to the fundamental health of women especially pregnant mothers and those with newborn children. In this regard it is important that basic healthcare be provided to all women and that mothers be provided with essential prenatal care, skilled attendants at all deliveries and specialist care for life threatening complications for both mother and the child yet to be born. “The statement also called for a human centered approach to caring for others and was critical of aid programmes in third world countries which do not respect the human person
Predicating aid to developing countries on the basis of acceptance of family planning methods not respectful of the human person does nothing to advance the health and wellbeing of women of today and of tomorrow. What is needed instead is a human-centered approach to caring for others, an approach that is fully respectful of the intrinsic dignity and worth of each and every person--from the very beginning of conception to natural death--an approach which sees the individual person not as a burden but as a contribution to the human family.The statement concluded by expressing the fact that
The authentic advancement of women entails respect for their inherent dignity, including their ethnic and religious identity. The Holy See for its part has consistently affirmed that for this to happen States must take into account that every life is valuable and has worth and that women must be supported. The wellbeing of the future of the human community depends to a great extent upon the ability of governments and civil society to truly respect women, their dignity and worth.The full statement can be viewed on this link
