The Population Research Institute in its weekly briefing
presented this week by Elizabeth Crnkovich looks at the actions of the World
Health Organization.
Steven Mosher in presenting the topic writes
“The World Health Organization, like most other U.N.
agencies, has signed on to the abortion agenda in a major way. Abortion is, of
course, extremely dangerous to the health of unborn children. Perhaps the WHO
should—in the interest of truth in labeling—rename itself the World Abortion
Organization.
The article follows and the original can be accessed on line
on this URL
The Contradiction of WHO
by Elizabeth Crnkovich
The World Health Organization (WHO) is devoting much staff
time and resources to promoting the legalization of abortion around the world.
in fact, it has just come out with a new “how-to” manual entitled Safe
abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems. The stated goal of
the manual is to educate practitioners on “safe abortion” procedures and to
advocate ways to “reduce unsafe abortion” around the world.
Before we go any further, please understand that “safe
abortion” is a code word for “legal abortion,” while “reducing unsafe abortion”
means “overturning laws that protect unborn life.” The abortion-minded do not
hesitate to distort the English language to make their project sound beneficial
to women and innocuous to the taxpaying public.
The WHO major partner in crime is the Working Group for the
Prevention of Unsafe Abortion of the International Federation of Gynecology and
Obstetrics (FIGO). The chairman of the Working Group, Dr. Anibal Faúndes,
collaborated with WHO in developing the new abortion manual, and is now
assisting in its promotion.
So what does the manual actually say? First, it urges that
abortion be legalized everywhere without exception or restriction. Second, it
seeks to ensure that women have their choice of a wide variety of “safe and
effective methods of abortion”. Finally, it advocates that countries be
provided by donor agencies (such as USAID) with all manner of abortion
equipment.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. WHO includes
misoprostol and mifepristone on their updated List of Priority Life-Saving
Medicines for Women and Children. It describes these drugs as necessary “for
the provision of safe abortion services.”
Misoprostol does have legitimate medical uses. It is a
prescription drug commonly used to treat stomach ulcers and hemorrhage
following miscarriage or birth. But here WHO is talking about using it to
perform abortions. When taken during pregnancy in combination with
mifepristone, misoprostol can cause a miscarriage.
In many countries around the world no prescription is
necessary to purchase drugs. Misoprostol can be purchased at any local drug
store. This means that even in countries where abortion is illegal, it is easy
to buy an abortion-inducing drug. In South America, for example, abortion
hotlines have been set up which advise women how to begin an abortion on
themselves by taking a combination of misoprostol and mifepristone. “After you
start bleeding,” a recorded voice tells the women, “go to a hospital and claim
that you are having a miscarriage. The doctors will be forced to give you a D
and C, ending your pregnancy.”
This is one way that “safe abortions” are occurring even
where the law prohibits any and all abortions. By advocating the use of such
drugs, the WHO is not only not protecting the health of unborn children, it is
putting the lives of women at risk as well. Abortion, we now know, is more
dangerous than childbirth.
How ironic that an organization that was founded to improve
health—the World Health Organization—has now stooped to promoting programs and
procedures that place the lives and health of women and children at serious
risk. Why not open quality clinics that provide women with good prenatal care?
