United Nations Recommends Pro-Life, Pro-Abortion Groups as NGOs

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 17, 2005   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

United Nations Recommends Pro-Life, Pro-Abortion Groups as NGOs Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 17, 2005

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) — The United Nations has recommended two organizations which focus on abortion issues for the nongovernmental organization status that allows them greater access to UN diplomats to lobby them on important issues.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) recommended that the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) approve NGO status for the National Abortion Federation and Feminists for Life of America.

If approved by ECOSOC, both groups will be able to attend meetings and distribute statements on key issues the international agency considers.

The National Abortion Federation is a trade group of abortion businesses and one of several pro-abortion groups that have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the federal ban on partial-birth abortions signed by President Bush.

In addition, the group has spent millions to promote the dangerous abortion drug RU 486.

According to a UN report, a Vatican diplomat expressed concern about approving NGO status for NAF saying that the UN does not officially recognize an international right to abortion and that abortion contradicted "the essence of the human rights to life."

"The United Nations [does] not support or promote abortion as a method of family planning," the Vatican diplomat said, and the committee should make sure approving the abortion business group for NGO status does not change that.

Meanwhile, members of the panel also suggested that Feminists for Life of America be granted NGO status.

The groups focus how abortion has adverse effects for women and works to present abortion alternatives — especially to pregnant and parenting students on college campuses.

The German diplomat on the NGO committee, supported by Cuba’s representative, said there should be a "level playing field" when it comes to approving NGO status for groups that deal with abortion.

He also indicated that "any NGO with consultative status should support the work of the ECOSOC."

Numerous pro-life and pro-abortion groups have already been approved for NGO status over the years.

Members of the NGO committee included representatives from Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Iran, Ivory Coast, Peru, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, Turkey, United States and Zimbabwe.