The United Nations (UN) will hold its annual Commission on Population and Development in New York from April 11-15. The theme for this year’s commission is “Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development.” As Pro-Lifers might expect, this commission aims to further the use of contraception and legal abortion around the world.
An initial draft of the agenda includes statements by pro-abortion organizations like International Planned Parenthood Federation, Family Care International, Ipas, and Advocates for Youth. According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, these statements call for increased funding for family planning and contraceptives, decriminalizing abortion, and the removal of legal barriers that restrict young people’s access to services like parental and spousal consent, age of consent, and issues of confidentiality.
These organizations are not only writing submissions for the agenda, but will be hosting several panels as well. The International Planned Parenthood Federation will be leading a session on adolescent girls and reproductive rights. Dr. Eunice Brookman-Amissah, a member of Ipas, will be giving one of the keynote speeches. While these organizations have been pushing this agenda for years, it is unsettling to see such a powerful and influential organization as the UN take such a blatant stance against Life.
In a pre-meeting report, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made it very clear that he believes that there are real economic benefits to reducing fertility. He wrote, “Improvements in child nutrition, health, and education can be achieved more easily when there are fewer children to compete for the resources and services available. Many countries where fertility has declined significantly have benefited because having fewer children has made it possible to invest in more productive activities.” The fact that the leader of the UN is taking such a stance against Life illustrates that this commission is biased in favor of reducing fertility by means of expanding contraceptive use and legalizing abortion.
Pro-Life activists and organizations need to carefully monitor this commission and the resulting outcomes. It is imperative that Pro-Lifers let the United Nations know that reducing the amount of children born through contraceptive use and abortion is not an acceptable solution to any social problem. Please take a moment and contact the following website: http://www.un.org/en/contactus/
For more information:
http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd2011/cpd44.htm