Oral Statement on protection of the family at the 26th Session of the Human Rights Council—Geneva—June 22, 2014

The following statement was made in During the 26^th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva by an organization GLOBAL HAWC (Helping to advance women and children), under AGENDA item 8, ‘Follow up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of action’. 

I respectfully address the council on behalf of Global Helping to Advance Women and Children and the UN Family Rights Caucus, an international coalition of NGOs.

Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right, proclaims that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society entitled to “protection by society and the State.”

The Vienna Declaration, in its comprehensive analysis of the international human rights system, also calls for broader family protection since five binding international human rights instruments call for such protection.

Yet until now, the protection of the family has largely been ignored by this Council.

UN consensus documents specify that the family needs to be protected against poverty, disease, substance abuse, unemployment, migration, war, family separation and barriers to reunification, and the worldwide disintegration of the family itself.

We applaud the ongoing dialogue concerning the Protection of the Family resolution, however we are concerned by attempts to change the focus of this historic resolution to individual rights, which numerous other resolutions amply address, rather than focus on the unique role the family plays in fulfilling the rights of its members. 

We hope this council will explore the evidence showing how the rights of individual family members can better be fulfilled when the family is protected.

The UN Secretary General has stated that “the stability and cohesiveness of communities and societies largely rest on the strength of the family” (Secretary General's Family Report 2011 (A/66/62–E/2011/4)).

We call upon States to fulfill their obligations to protect the family. 

Despite the fact that Annie Franklin who made the intervention on behalf of Global HAWC provided 25 copies of the text to the secretariat it was not initially posted as part of the record of the meeting. It was only after three reminders that the text was finally included in the record.

Chile to legalise abortion in certain circumstances

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Chile’s UN Ambassador to Geneva H.E Ms Maria Maurás Pérez announced last Thursday (June 19^th), during consideration of the outcome of Chile’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, that its current its pro-life laws will change and that abortion will be decriminalized in the following circumstances, in the case of rape, where a woman’s life is in danger and when a foetus is not viable.’

Pérez told the meeting that following the election of Michele Bachelet, as Chile’s President and the first 100 days of her Government, Chile would introduce a new gender agenda dealing with the rights equality and autonomy of women and will nominate a minister for women and gender equity. Ms Pérez explained that her government is concerned about violence and discrimination against women and will defend further the sexual and reproductive rights of all persons. Pérez continued by stating that her government will decriminalize termination of pregnancy in three areas, where the life of the mother is in danger, where a foetus is unviable and in the case of rape. Abortion is currently

completely illegal in Chile.

Pérez announced Chile’s commitment to implement 180 of the 185 suggestions in the UPR including a number of proposals put forth by other member states that Chile change its longstanding stance on the protection of the unborn.

Among the five rejected suggestions was the appeal by the Holy See that Chile continue its legal protection of the human person from the moment of conception, and that it safeguard marriage as being between one man and one woman.

The basis of the review was set out in two reports A/HRC/26/5 and 26/5 Addendum1. The main report 26/5 shows that 7 European Countries pressured Chile to repeal all laws criminalizing abortion and to take all necessary measures to ensure so called safe and legal abortion in cases of rape or incest and in cases of serious danger for the health of women and a number of countries also called on Chile to make sure that sexual and reproductive rights are respected and protected.

It is clear from both documents 26/5 and 26/5 Addendum 1 that the intention of the previous government was to reject the pressure from other member states

Marianne Lillebleg for Amnesty International welcomed Chile’s rejection of the Holy See’s recommendation that Chile should uphold and respect the rights of the human person from the moment of conception to natural death, which she falsely claimed, could have placed women’s lives in danger.

Advocates push for global decriminalization of abortion at UN side panel meeting in Geneva and ignore the right to life enshrined in U.N. documents

Geneva; Tuesday Sept 18^th at the 24^th session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Permanent Mission of Finland hosted a side event, urging the global decriminalization and legalization of abortion. The official title of the event was, “Decriminalization of Abortion: A human rights imperative.” The meeting was also addressed by representatives from both the Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization together with representatives from two international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that advocate abortion on demand.

During her presentation Krystyna Kacpura from Poland representing the pro-abortion ASTRA network bewailed the fact that recent developments from Macedonia, Poland and Lithuania show that these countries are turning away from abortion which she falsely claimed is a serious threat to women’s right to health. Poland, she said has one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the world but is still seriously considering the introduction of further limitations.

Kacpura bemoaned the fact that the law, as she sees it, is even harsher in reality than on paper, in that it punishes service providers and pro-abortion counselors and allows for conscientious objection of medical personnel and even hospitals. She conceded however that women themselves do not face any charges.

Kacpura claimed that abortion is actually a very simple and safe procedure and that the only way to make abortion hazardous for women is to criminalize it.

Despite evidence to the contrary from Chile and Poland Kacpura claimed that ‘highly restrictive abortion laws do not generate lower abortion rates’.

It is ironic that a side event like this would take place at the United Nations during the Human Rights Council bearing in mind that the Convention on the Rights of the Child in its preamble asserts that, “The child by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth” and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights tells us in  Article 3, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” The Universal Declaration also tells us that, “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”

 Kacpura’s presentation unintentionally confirmed that many European countries are turning away from the dangerous and deadly practice of abortion on demand but it is clear that officials in international organizations are still are not willing to respect national sovereignty and that they continually ignore the mounting scientific evidence revealing how abortion hurts women.

Globally, more studies are verifying that abortion not only destroys an unborn child but also hurts women. Induced abortion poses both short- and long-term risks to the physical health of women. It can also seriously affect mental health. These risks are exacerbated when abortion is legalized or promoted in countries with poor maternal health care.