Polish Pro-Life Victory
In our last PRI Review, we told you how the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) demanded Poland legalize abortion, sex ed and contraception instruction and offer free access to family planning services and methods.
In a close vote in February, Poland’s parliament deferred debate on legislation to legalize abortion until after their elections in September. The ruling ex-Communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) feared the decision to legalize abortion would further hamper their popularity. Defeat of the motion was by a margin of 199–183.
“We will not be talking about abortion in this parliament,” parliamentary speaker and SLD member Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said. “We are not going to wage this kind of ideological war.”
“The SLD is weak at the moment, they are thinking about the elections and are afraid of any controversy,” commented Wlodzimierz Derczynski, political analyst.
Abortion has been illegal in Poland since 1993 when the Communist government collapsed, but it is allowed for pregnancy from rape, in the case of a malformed fetus, and if the pregnancy poses a health risk to the mother. The new law would have legalized abortion-on-demand during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Polish pro-life leader Lech Kowalewski reported, “The statement of the Polish bishops conference was very strong and helpful in the struggle.” He added that there are other anti-family bills, such as one allowing same-sex marriage, still before parliament.
See the source: “Abortion bill narrowly defeated in Poland,” Catholic World News/LifeSiteNews.com, 17 February 2005, http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=35335
Paraguay on CEDAW’s Hit List
Paraguay is the United Nation’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women’s (CEDAW) latest prey in trying to force legalized abortion on a country — whether the population, which is 90% Catholic, want legalized abortion or not.
Maria Jose Argana Mateu, Paraguayan Minister of the Women’s Secretariat presented a report recently to a UN committee of experts from various countries who oversee the compliance of CEDAW directives. A UN news release notes the committee had concerns about “criminal penalties for abortion under national law.”
According to the UN news release, Ms. Salma Khan, from Bangladesh, started the investigation by saying, “According to the Convention, women were to be provided with full access to family planning services. Paraguay had three times more women in prison than the world average. Was that because of illegal abortions? Women seemed to be forced to seek abortion in the absence of normal family planning information. She requested the Government to reconsider the criminalization of abortion. That legislation should be amended.”
When the Brazilian consultant and committee vice chair, Ms. Silvia Pimentel, asked whether the government would address the problem of maternal mortality and clandestine abortions, Mateu answered by telling of prenatal care programs and safer birthing techniques in Paraguay, promoted by the Ministry of Health. She added that the problem of illegal abortions was being tackled from “a prevention perspective.”
The committee did not seem pleased with Mateu’s response. Filipino Ms. Rosario G. Manalo, committee chair, indicated she believed the Paraguayan government’s approach was effective.
See the source: “Paraguay the Latest Country to be Pressured by United Nations to Legalize Abortion,” LifeSiteNews.com, 17 January 2005, http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jan/05011706.html
China Ages
The birth of a baby boy in January marked the increase of the Chinese population to 1.3 billion people. But while China congratulates itself at slowing her birthrate, population officials are worrying about their country’s increasing elderly population.
Estimates show that the number of people 60 years and older in China will grow from 7% of the population in 2005 to 11.8% in 2020. The mid-21st century will see over 400 million people 65 years and older and more than 100 million people 80 years and older in China.
According to the vice-chairman of the Beijing Municipal Old-Age Association, the aging population poses a serious challenge. The challenge is seeing to the support, social security, social welfare and services for the elderly.
See the source: “China faces up to aging population,” Chinaview.cn, 6 January 2005, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/06/content_2425430.htm
