Geneva; Tuesday Sept 18th at the 24th
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.
