23 February 2007 Vol. 9 / No. 8
Dear Colleague:
The world’s left-wing cultural imperialists are pressuring Nicaraguans to allow the killing of their children, but so far, so good.
Steven W. Mosher
President
Europe’s Cultural Imperialism
Last October, Nicaragua’s congress unanimously passed a bill outlawing all abortions in that small Central American nation. Nicaragua’s then-president signed it into law, and the current president supports it. In fact, the current president announced his support for the law before the election, and the Nicaraguan people apparently liked what they heard. The law closed a loophole for "therapeutic abortions" that was, of course, being used to justify abortions of all kinds–even though, with modern
technology, there is never a need for direct abortion to save a mother’s life.
This display of republican self-government and due process for the protection of unborn children in a country with a recent history of dictatorship and lack of respect for human life pleases many. Even
those who don’t share Nicaraguans’ opposition to abortion could react by admiring such a democratic process and respecting this Latin people’s beliefs about children and motherhood.
After all, Western leftists talk incessantly about respecting other cultures, the self-determination of all peoples, the importance of Western nations refraining from meddling in the internal affairs of small
countries, the evils of imperialism including economic and cultural imperialism, and the great undesirability of the world’s ongoing cultural homogenization. So, surely, in the face of such a unanimous democratic decision taken by the elected representatives of the Nicaraguan people
based on traditional Latin American culture, Western leftists are content to leave Nicaragua alone over this issue?
Of course not. Leftists are the biggest economic and cultural imperialists of the modern world, determined to impose their values upon every single people and sub-group of people on the planet. Nicaragua’s pro-life law is coming under a two-pronged attack: The European Union and other donors are threatening to cut aid to this poor country if abortion isn’t legalized, and there is the inevitable lawsuit-since it is the practice of leftists everywhere to abrogate democracy when it suits them and seek to overturn decisions made by elected legislators through unelected judges.
Earlier this month, Marc Litvine, EU liaison to Nicaragua, said that access to abortion "is linked to aid programs against poverty and to the rights of women" and said "we hope that the new government will be capable of opening the debate and discussing it outside the passion of the electoral season," according to the Catholic News Agency. He labeled the decision of the Nicaraguan congress "hurried" and added, "That’s where I see one of the contradictions of the new government; it claims to be progressive, very modern, and it is going backwards because for us [the pro-life law] is a step back."
It might be step back for a Europe that is fast self-exterminating through very low birthrates, but perhaps not for a nation that wishes to survive beyond this century. Nicaragua’s total fertility rate has been dropping but is still at a decent 3.3 children per woman. However, the United Nations population Division predicts that Nicaragua’s birthrate will continue to drop and go below replacement level in 20 years. What could be more truly progressive than taking steps now to endure the survival of your people, especially when it is so small-only 5.5 million live in this sparsely populated nation?
Litvine later claimed he was not threatening Nicaragua on behalf of the EU. But the mention of linkage between abortion and aid programs seemed clear enough. The EU supposedly has no group position on abortion, but it is constantly pressuring countries to liberalize abortion laws. "Since
the EU has no position on abortion, a representative can’t express an opinion as an EU position," notes Carlos Polo, PRI’s Latin American Director. But they do anyway, at least semi-officially.
In fact, German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul could hardly have been more clear when she said Nov. 17, 2006, after ambassadors from European countries met with Nicaragua’s president-elect, "The international donor community made it unequivocally clear to Daniel Ortega that there will be consequences for their future cooperation with his country if the bill is not amended."
If the name of Daniel Ortega sounds familiar, it’s because he was the anti-American Marxist president of Nicaragua in the 1980s. After spending years out of office, he returned to the Catholic Church, embraced the pro-life cause, and won election again last fall. "It’s funny, but when Ortega was a godless little communist he was much more popular with the Euro-Left than he is now that he’s outlawed baby-killing. Funny that!" posted Oliver McCarthy of London on the web this week.
In December, after Nicaragua’s pro-life law was signed, EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner responded to a questioner deploring Nicaragua’s infringement of abortion "rights": "The Commission shares an expressed concern related to therapeutic abortion. The Commission and States Parties [individual EU governments] have adopted an active position in this matter."
Last month, Wieczorek-Zeul demanded that Nicaragua’s new president repeal the new law and even endorsed efforts to get Nicaraguan courts to discard the unanimous will of the Nicaraguan congress. "This bill violates human rights and must be invalidated as quickly as possible," she said. "It
violates the fundamental rights of women in Nicaragua by making abortion a criminal offense in all cases–even if the mother’s life is at stake or she has been raped. There are many civil society groups in Nicaragua who are working against this law and who have filed a constitutional court action. We support these organizations in their demand, together with other international donors and the United Nations."
Yes, other international donors and the UN itself are pressuring Nicaragua, too. What is this but cultural imperialism, backed up by economic power?
And international so-called human rights groups are in on the act, too. The inaptly-named Human Rights Watch called Nicaragua’s pro-life law "a direct threat to human rights." Only the conception of human rights native to fashionable Western leftists counts.
So far, Ortega seems to be holding firm, and currently enjoys a 61% approval rating from the Nicaraguan people. Wouldn’t it be great if the Bush Administration offered to make up for any foreign aid lost due to Nicaragua’s drive to save her children’s lives? What a fine way to heal the old split between the newly moderate Ortega and his supporters, and our own USA.
Joseph A. D’Agostino is Vice President for Communications at the Population Research Institute.
