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February 28, 2005
Holding the Line
Ten years after the world's nations pledged to achieve equality for women, a follow-up meeting has become embroiled in controversy over a U.S. demand that its final declaration state that women are not guaranteed the right to abortion.
In informal consultations ahead of Monday's meeting to take stock of progress in implementing the landmark platform adopted at the 1995 U.N. women's conference in Beijing, the United States raised the abortion issue as a first order of business.
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
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United Families has an online email engine at www.unitedfamilies.org/defendmarriageatun.cfm for those who would like to send a message to a bunch of UN ambassadors to oppose this move to legalise abortion. It also includes an option to email the US government supporting it's initiative in opposing moves to legalise abortion.
God Bless
Posted by: Chris Sullivan at Feb 28, 2005 1:16:40 PM
Say some prayers for all the participants, and for my friend Roman, who is participating in the Beijing+10 conference as a member of the World Youth Alliance. Roman is a polyglot, faithful Catholic and very intelligent young man from Khazakstan, and he is working towards a career in international relations.
Posted by: Kate at Feb 28, 2005 1:18:00 PM
Here is the UN Website for the 49th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, Feb 28-Mar 11, 2005. Webcast and news flashes are available.
Interesting take on the Beijing Platform: The United Methodist Church resolution on The Status of Women
From Asia, the New Japan Women's Association has a document of proposed actions, which all seem good to me. I was especially impressed by the final item of their list:
L. The Girl Child
- Establish an effective legal frame to criminalize child prostitution and child pornography. Impose regulations on distorted information on sex via the Internet and other media, including flood of commodities targeted at the girl child and rampant sex industries.
- Efforts should be made at home, school, in communities and municipalities to prevent child abuse, making clear the criminal responsibility of the perpetrators who committed ill treatment of the child including sexual abuse. It is particularly important to increase caseworkers and other experts, and provide care to the victimized girl child.
The push for abortion is really from the post-Christian, mostly affluent, West. In much of the world, more urgent issues (poverty, violence, war, trafficking) and pressing issues (equal access to education, equal access to employment, financial and social right) are much more important.
Posted by: Zhou De-Ming at Feb 28, 2005 1:47:00 PM
I guess this gives the lie to those who said that Catholics could vote for Kerry in good conscience. If he had an administration, they would be pushing for Moloch as far and as hard as they could.
Posted by: BA at Feb 28, 2005 7:07:14 PM
BA, you're right. If Kerry were President, the United States would be supporting the notion that the "right" to abortion is a U.N.-guaranteed human right.
Posted by: Jay Anderson at Mar 1, 2005 12:55:13 AM
Please remember to prayerfully and financially support Austin Ruse & Friends over at the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute
www.c-fam.org
who have been working extremely hard, on a shoestring budget, to keep the US on the side of the angels and to line up effective (!) international prolife support.
Puts me in mind of David + 5 smooth stones + the Name of the Lord...!
Posted by: Julianne Wiley at Mar 1, 2005 4:07:36 PM
