U.S. Proposes Amendment Stating No Right to Abortion at U.N. Meeting To Reaffirm 1994 Cairo Program of Action

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 11 Apr 2005 - 0:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Delegates from the United States on Wednesday at a weeklong meeting of the UN Commission on Population and Development in New York refused to reaffirm the... Programme of Action unanimously adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt, unless countries agree that "nothing therein creates a right to abortion," Inter Press Service reports (Deen, Inter Press Service, 4/6). The Cairo document states that "[i]n no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning," but it also uses the terms "reproductive rights" and "reproductive health," which some people view as indirect references to abortion rights (C-FAM/MichNews.com, 4/7). As of Wednesday, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Qatar and Egypt had voiced support for the U.S. amendment, according to several delegates (Inter Press Service, 4/6). A Nicaraguan delegate on Wednesday said, "[W]e recognize that there is no language in the (Cairo) documents that can be interpreted as promoting abortion" but added that the delegation has "reservations" about the use of phrases such as "sexual rights" and "sexual and reproductive health services" (C-FAM/MichNews.com, 4/7). The UNCPD meeting, which began on April 4, is expected to end on Friday, Inter Press Service reports (Inter Press Service, 4/6). As of Thursday, meeting attendees were continuing to discuss the U.S. amendment, C-FAM/MichNews.com reports (C-FAM/MichNews.com, 4/7).

Previous U.S. Abortion-Related Objections
This week's actions were not the first time Bush administration delegates have "raised the politically divisive issue of abortion" during U.N. meetings, Inter Press Service reports (Inter Press Service, 4/6). During a two-week meeting of the 45-member U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in New York last month, U.S. delegates proposed an amendment that would have clarified that the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing does not include a right to abortion. However, the amendment ultimately failed, and the declaration passed in its original form. Later at that same meeting, the commission approved a resolution calling for economic equality for women that included an amendment mentioning "reproductive rights," despite opposition by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Ellen Sauerbrey (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 3/14).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations