UN “Experts” Celebrate Abortion Day
October 2nd
This week in review: UN experts push abortion access, the U.S. Supreme Court decision on foreign aid has major implications for the pro-life movement, and IYc contributors reflect on culture, politics, and faith
UN Experts Endorse So-Called “Safe Abortion Day”
Over a decade ago, the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), a coalition of pro-abortion organizations, declared September 28 as “Safe Abortion Day.” Regrettably, throughout the years, several UN agencies and “experts” have fully embraced the initiative. This year, they released a joint statement saying that “[t]imely access to safe abortions is not merely a health issue; it is a matter of human rights and dignity. People should not have to navigate multiple barriers when seeking essential healthcare.” They also asked that states regulate doctors’ conscientious objection to abortion.
The statement is signed by:
🖋 The UN Special Rapporteur on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
🖋 The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health
🖋 The Working Group on Women and Girls
But let us take a step back and ask, is there such a thing as a “safe abortion”? Pro-life advocates argue that this is a misleading and false term—abortion can never be safe since it aims at killing a human being, namely the baby in the womb. It is an act of violence where death is not a mere unintended consequence; it is the goal. Terms such as “safe abortion” bypass the humanity of the fetus and its right to life at every stage of development.
Grace Melton from the Heritage Foundation wrote that “[d]isguising the life-ending reality of abortion by claiming it as health care or gender equality shows how abortion supporters twist words to push their agenda.”
A C-Fam paper authored by Rebecca Oas and Stefano Gennarini explains the evolution of the term “safe-abortion” in the context of the UN. “Abortion is not a good thing. It should be avoided as much as possible. Since the Clinton era, though, abortion advocates have distanced themselves from the [abortion should be safe, legal, and rare] phrase, arguing that the word ‘rare’ imparts stigma. Instead, they have increasingly worked to frame abortion as a good thing, and used the word ‘safe’ as part of the push to establish abortion as an international right.”
Takeaways:
● “Safe abortion” is a highly misleading term
● UN and pro-abortion groups are reframing abortion to obscure the humanity of babies in the womb
● Pro-abortion advocacy has evolved strategically
Supreme Court Rules on Foreign Aid Funds
The U.S. Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to let unused foreign aid funds expire. “The Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Trump administration does not have to obligate $10.5 billion in foreign aid funding set to expire on Sept. 30, overturning a lower court order,” Devex reports.
Eight months ago, the White House ordered an overhaul of foreign aid to ensure all United States foreign assistance is “fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.” In line with his foreign aid reform, President Trump asked Congress to rescind around $4 billion of unused foreign assistance funds.
What are the implications for the pro-life & family movement?
In its ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed the power of the Executive Branch to determine foreign assistance spending. Many pro-life advocates fully welcome Trump's foreign aid overhaul aimed at ensuring no US funds will be used to promote controversial ideological views and programs overseas, including the pro-abortion and gender ideology normative and operational programming that was quite prevalent at USAID.
Many pro-lifers asked Trump to ensure American taxpayer funds are used where they are needed most and stop the systemic intermingling of U.S. foreign aid with harmful ideologies.
Weekly Friday Fax Articles
UNICEF Staff Complain about C-Fam report “A disturbing report by C-Fam [publisher of the Friday Fax] prompted the UN children’s agency to remove sexually explicit material from its website a few weeks ago. The decision by UNICEF management caused dissension among staff with some expressing “alarm” that the removal would reinforce a conservative view on sexuality and gender.” [C-Fam]
Populism Roars Back at UN “U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s return to the United Nations was a triumph of populism over globalism. He was one of several populist world leaders who criticized the European Union and the United Nations for open borders, climate, and gender policies.” [C-Fam]
Other Resources
GRAHAM: In the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, Canadians should reject Liberal censorship “As a society, we have a duty to condemn this violence as barbaric, unjust and anti-human. Not only has some of the Canadian media failed at this basic task, but their response has revealed a pathogen that has infected our culture and politics: The coercive spirit of censorship.” [Toronto Sun]
Attacks on Pro-Natalism… End Up Proving It Right In her latest contribution for IYc, Chiara McKenna wrote a critique of New York Magazine’s “Wanting a Child at the End of the World.” Chiara argues that, despite her project to argue against pro-natalism, the New York Magazine writer seems to agree with most of its underlying principles. [IYc]
On the Legacy of Charlie Kirk “The news of Charlie Kirk’s horrific assassination quickly spread around the globe; from the moment the bullet fatally hit Charlie, news stations were frantically reporting on the scene, and details spread like wildfire. He has become more than just a right-wing thinker: Charlie has left an indelible mark on the history of the United States of America, and his death sparked a movement. This movement is one of free thought and speech, of Christian love and prayer," IYc blogger Rosemary Dwyer reflects. [IYc]
Neither Trans Nor Tradwife: Understanding the Truth of Femininity: “What does it mean to be a woman? The culture has wrestled with this point for decades. Ironically, diametrically opposed sides often make the same mistake: conflating the aesthetics of femininity with its definition.” [KNOW WHY Podcast]
