The resolution, titled “International cooperation for access to justice, remedies and assistance for survivors of sexual violence,” states, among other things, that countries must provide “access to safe abortion” as a “human right.” More than 80 nations, including the United States and members of the European Union, co-sponsored this text.
“The resolution, adopted on September 2, also references new gender terminology that some countries say was in opposition to their values because it contradicted a traditional view of human sexuality.”
“The resolution includes modern contraception, emergency contraception and ‘safe abortion’ in the list of rights entitled to women. It also updates the resolution’s language to add ‘gender-based violence’ to the definition of ‘sexual violence.’”
A handful of countries protested the move, saying it fostered social acceptance of homosexuality and transgenderism.
The resolution’s focus on abortion and gender ideology was criticized by 33 countries, mostly located in Africa.
Nigeria led the fight by proposing several amendments aimed at protecting unborn children and removing controversial language from the resolution, but the measures failed to gain enough support to pass.
“ ‘Each country should decide its abortion laws at the national level without external interference,’ a Nigerian representative said in a fiery debate. ‘Countries should help women avoid abortion and provide mothers and their children with health care and social support,’ he added.”
Senegal’s representative condemned the inclusion of abortion as a method of family planning and argued that the word “gender” should only refer to “social relations between men and women.”
“Among the 32 nations that joined Nigeria in supporting amendments to strike abortion and gender language from the resolution were Uganda, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Senegal. The Philippines, Nicaragua, Russia and a handful of Middle Eastern countries also joined the effort.”
“Austin Ruse, president of the Center for Family & Human Rights, said in an interview with CNA that it is well-known that smaller African countries courageously stand against the West’s pro-abortion and gender policies.”
“’They have the most to lose,’ he emphasized. ‘They know what the sexual revolution is about because they can see what has happened to our country and don’t want any of it.’”
“ ‘They want basic medical care, clean water, safe sanitation; not the gender, reproductive health, and comprehensive sexuality education agenda that comes from the big powers,’ he added.”
Hungary and Poland, surprisingly, did not participate in the fight for the protection of life and the traditional view of sexuality. These two countries are under “heavy attacks of the liberal representatives of the EU,” which could explain their silence.
A United Nations resolution defining abortion as a human right and advancing gender ideology passed this month with overwhelming support from Western countries, but was opposed by a group of mostly African nations.
