UFI at the United Nations
'They Chose Life'
Update from the CEDAW Committee Meeting in New York
By Linda Ash
January 18, 2007
Here
at the United Nations headquarters in New York, I have been monitoring the
meeting of the UN committee charged with overseeing compliance with the UN
convention called CEDAW—the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women. With a high-sounding name like that, one might
well expect that the committee would actually make paramount the real interests
of women. Sadly, in the two years that my husband Cecil and I have been here
representing United Families International, we have witnessed repeated instances
of the committee actively seeking to force countries to offer universal abortion
services. For a country to do anything less would apparently be gross discrimination,
according to the committee.
But this week as representatives of various countries appeared before the committee to report, I saw a remarkable instance of courage and insistence on sovereign rights in the face of pressure from the committee. The representative from Namibia was articulate, knowledgeable, upbeat and it was apparent that she loved her country and her people. As the committee questioned her about abortion services in her country, she explained that although abortion in Namibia is illegal, it does occur and does take the lives of many women. Accordingly, Namibia is doing everything possible to educate its people to the dangerous consequences of abortion and to provide support for women who are pregnant.
Predictably, the CEDAW Committee immediately countered by insisting that the laws of Namibia be changed to legalize abortion. Namibia 's spokeswoman was amazing. With a smile on her face, she calmly but firmly announced: “The people of Namibia make the laws of our country, and they chose life.”
Such courage and clarity seemed to catch the Committee off guard, and the debate on that dangerous topic ended there—for Namibia. It was inspiring to see this wonderful African delegate take a stand for her country, for mothers and for the unborn. I only hope that other countries will follow suit.
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