A summary of the last CSW by my colleague Patrick Buckley from Ireland

The 60^th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women took place at UN headquarters in New York  from March 14^th to March 24^th finishing around 11.00PM on Holy Thursday. There has always been bias against pro-life and pro-family NGO’s at the UN however this year’s session contained a new and pernicious level of bias, not previously experienced by pro-life and pro-family NGO’s. 

This new level of bias first showed it ugly head in the preparations for the session when the pro-life and family NGO’s applied for parallel events and were told that only one event would be allowed per organization and then were either refused outright or given slots on the most unsuitable dates and times. Contrast that with the slots, times, dates and numbers of events given to pro-abortion organizations many of which were given multiple slots for their parallel events, together with more appropriate dates and times. Radical Feminist organizations such as the Asian-Pacific resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) for example were given approval for three events  -  March 15, 2:30 pm, March 21, 10:30 am, March 21 4:30 pm, while the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) were given 6 events – March 16  8:30 am, March 16 12:30 pm, March 17 6:15 pm, March 21 10:30 am, March 21 4:30 pm, March 24 2:30 pm. 

Second the  CSW approved NGO committee issued a publication for NGO’s condemning what they describe as negativity and yes, you have guessed it, negativity consists of the pro-life and family agenda. The following is and extract from the publication,  'NGOs and Women’s Human Rights Activists at the UN and CSW', which on page 23 sets out some of the so called negative trends that in the view of the committee have impeded their progress:
 

• Narrowing the concept of gender to only refer to women and men

• Dissent between pro-life and pro-choice groups

• Opposition to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, in particular sexual rights

• Opposition to “sexual orientation and gender identity” or (SOGI)

• Opposition to “diverse forms of families”

• Opposition to Comprehensive Sexuality Education.

Thirdly and perhaps more serious than the other problems was that a new level of inflexibility entered into the inter governmental negotiations and despite strong representations from many pro-life NGO’s the CSW outcome document, Women’s Empowerment and the Link to Sustainable Development, (Draft) Agreed Conclusions, contains language aimed at increasing access to contraception and abortion and teaching children inappropriate so called comprehensive sexuality education. The health paragraph also includes a reference to controversial sexual rights.

 

Ref: http://europeanlifenetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/blatant-bias-against-pro-life-and-pro.html

Final wording at CSW on Health

Many thanks to all who prayer for us last week , the document was not so good , but could have been much worse.

Final wording of the health paragraph.

  ensure the promotion and protection of the human rights of all women and their sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Beijing Platform for Action and the  outcome  documents  of  their  review  conferences,  including  through  the  development  and enforcement of policies and legal frameworks and the strengthening of health systems that make universally accessible and available quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive health-care services,  commodities,  information  and  education,  including,  inter  alia,  safe  and  effective methods  of  modern  contraception,  emergency  contraception,  prevention  programmes  for adolescent  pregnancy,  maternal  health  care  such  as  skilled  birth  attendance  and  emergency obstetric  care  which  will  reduce  obstetric  fistula  and  other  complications  of  pregnancy  and delivery,  safe  abortion  where  such  services  are  permitted  by  national  law,  and  prevention  and treatment of reproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and reproductive cancers, recognizing that human rights include the right to have control over and decide freely and  responsibly  on  matters  related  to  their  sexuality,  in  accordance  with  national  laws  and context,  including  sexual  and  reproductive  health,  free  from  coercion,  discrimination  and violence;

 

Comment on Health para:

Bad

 1. Too much mention of rights , wrongs should never become rights.

2. New term – comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services.

3. Mentions of Cairo and Beijing conference was to programme of action , should have been to the Report , as this includes reservations

4. In a roundabout way promotes comprehensive sexuality education , lessons in sexual immorality and depravity.

 

Good.

1.     Rights  referenced to Cairo with protective wording on abortion – national law and not a right.

2.     No mention of Sexual & reproductive health & rights

3.     Mention of obstetric fistula , etc.

 

 

Below is the link to our side event last week.

http://webtv.un.org/watch/best-practices-for-maternal-health-care-in-africa-csw60-side-event/4807036245001

Negotiations ongoing at UN

Last night we were at the UN until midnight. There will be long negotiations today and to at least Thursday. Please pray for a good out come.

Press release from Yesterday's side event at the UN.

Statement of Campaign Life Coalition, Real Women of Canada

 and the Society for the Protection of Unborn Child in anticipation of the event

 “Best Practices for Maternal Health Care in Africa”

 March 17, 2016, UN Headquarters Conference Rome 1, New York

 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 830 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 99 percent of maternal deaths take place in the developing world. The majority of these deaths occur in Africa.

 The high number of maternal deaths in developing countries, resulting from complications during and following pregnancy and childbirth, suggests that the real issues are lack of basic health care and skilled birth attendants.

 If the international community is serious about meeting the 2030 agenda goal of reducing maternal and child mortality (SDG Targets 3.1 and 3.2), women in the developing world must be given access to the same basic standard of care that has been available to women in the developed world for decades.

 The antithesis of helping mothers and their children is the practice of abortion. Ending the lives of babies before they are born is not infant healthcare. Rather than a solution, abortion diverts money and attention from the real needs of women and legalizing and expanding access to abortion will not improve maternal health. Evidence shows countries with restrictive abortion laws, like Sri Lanka, Chile and Ireland, often have the lowest maternal mortality rates

 For far too long, various western nations have been promoting abortion to the developing world as a form of foreign aid and as a ‘solution’ to reducing maternal mortality. It is never necessary deliberately to kill a baby in order to save the life of a mother. Our organizations join many UN Member States in opposing abortion as an abuse of authentic health care, or as a so-called strategy for reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality rates in Africa and around the world.

Promoting maternal health should never involve eliminating motherhood. Genuine maternal health includes obstetric care for all mothers to facilitate their children being born alive. Methods like abortion and abortifacient forms of contraception that end the lives of children before birth are a contradiction of genuine maternal health care.

 Targets 3.1 and 3.2 of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focused on reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality, should not be used to reduce the number of mothers, newborns and children through the promotion of abortion, sterilization or contraception. The truth is that women are dying during childbirth mainly because of infections caused by unsanitary conditions or because they didn’t have access to basic health care or clean water.

To meet the 2030 agenda and create a healthy and sustainable future for generations to come in Africa, the international community must prioritize the health of mothers and children in foreign aid. This means committing finances and health care resources to ensure that the life of every African mother and her children is treated with the same care and respect as the lives of each of us here at the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

 In conclusion, every dollar spent on abortion, sterilization and contraception is a dollar denied to the provision of the real necessities of life and genuine health care: nutrition, clean water, medicine, and safe deliveries. Pregnancy is not a disease, sickness or illness. The solution to reducing maternal mortality is rooted in eliminating the causes of these deaths, not in eliminating the child..

My team at CSW

Myself , Ana Reyes , Austin Cherry & LeAnn Walters

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Holy See Side Event-Best Practice for Maternal Health Care in Africa.

L to R :Uju Ekeocha , Archbishop Auza, Dr. Robert Walley & Maria Madise

The Holy See held a side event yesterday at the UN along with Real Women of Canada , Campaign Life Coalition & SPUC.  There was a very good turn out in Conf. room 1 , as you can see from the above photo. The Nuncio introduced , and chaired the event , very well. Dr Wally spoke very movingly about his work in Kenya providing life saving treatment to women having babies. Then Uju gave an excellent presentation on why African women reject abortion. Maria Madise spoke on how there is NO right to abortion in UN documents.

There was a very small group of pro-aborts in the room led by Ms Mette Gjerskov from Denmark. She was very upset by Uju's comment on the developed nations trying to impose a new colonialism on Africa by trying to push legalized abortion upon them. The vast majority of African nations and there women reject abortion and treasure their children. You might like to post a tweet to Ms Gjerskov at @MetteGjerskov or facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mettegjerskov/?fref=ts

Side event at UN tomorrow

Tomorrow at 4.45pm in New York , or 8.45pm GMT we are having a side event.

You can watch this at :

http://webtv.un.org/

In New York

Yesterday I arrived in New York. I had not slept very well the night before , so was quite tired last night . So against good practice I went to bed early. That is why I am up at 5am. Jet lag does not get easier with practice.

Well I will be here for 2 weeks to attend the Commission on the Status of Women ( CSW ). This will be the 60th meeting of CSW. I am still looking forward to a meeting on men , but an " not holding my breath".

Please pray for a good outcome for this meeting.

God bless

Peter Smith

Prayer for the Unborn Child

 

Perhaps you could have this prayer prayed in your Church on Sundays , or in your own quiet time with the Lord. 

Jeanne Head

 

Please pray for my dear friend and colleague Jeanne Head. I have lobbied with Jeanne for 21 years at the UN. Next Thursday , in New York ,   she is having stem cell treatment on her knee to try to re-grow the worn out cartilage. Please pray that this is a success , so she can then have the other knee fixed.