Carol Soelberg
Victory Elusive, but Delegations Bring Sanctity of Life Amendments to United Nations Debate
Dear Friend of the Family,
When a resolution condemning the death penalty was introduced by the European Union in last week's United Nations Third Committee of the General Assembly, it caused a flurry of action over the sanctity of life, opening the door for pro-life amendments.
Several pro-life Muslim delegations -– Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania and Sudan -- introduced an amendment to add the following language:
“Urges Member States to take all necessary measures to protect the lives of unborn children.”
The amendment lost 83-28. However, Egypt's delegates were not ready to concede defeat. They raised a second amendment calling for the inclusion of this paragraph:
“Reaffirms that every human being has the inherent right to life and stresses that abortion should only be admissible in necessary cases and only when the life of the mother or child is at serious risk.”
Once again, defeat was the end result, 84-26. Nonetheless, the topic was placed on the table creating a bridge for those nations with a reverence for human life to address this important issue at the UN.
Further encouragement came from additional supportive nations. The United States voted in favor of Egypt's first amendment. The U.S. delegation indicated agreement that unborn children deserve protection.
The courage and determination of these nations is reminiscent of the great fight that former British Member of Parliament William Wilberforce led for many years in an effort to outlaw slavery. He met overwhelming opposition at the start, and resolution after resolution failed, but he persisted unfailingly and in the end, he had convinced his colleagues in Parliament to overturn a great moral injustice.
In the same way, we will overcome the injustice of abortion – by being persistent.
United Families International wishes you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Warmly,
Carol Soelberg,
President
United Families International
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