Pro-Life Message on Maternal Mortality, Abortion Goes to World Health Assembly

International   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 19, 2010   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Pro-Life Message on Maternal Mortality, Abortion Goes to World Health Assembly

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 19
, 2010

Geneva, Switzerland (LifeNews.com) — Pro-life organizations are on hand at the 63rd World Health Assembly in Geneva to monitor the annual meeting as it addresses the activities of the World Health Organization and its future priorities. They’re bringing the message that legalizing abortion doesn’t reduce maternal mortality.

Attendees will discuss strategies for reaching the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, including Goal 5 to improve maternal health.

The United Nations, some influential nations, and pro-abortion groups have sought to use the issue of maternal mortality to press for legalized abortion on demand, particularly in those countries that still have laws in place protecting unborn children and their mothers.

This is in spite of research demonstrating that legalized abortion does not improve maternal health or reduce mortality.

Scott Fischbach, the director of MCCL GO, the international outreach of the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life group, told LifeNews.com about the meeting.

Usually only a few pro-lifers are present to advance the lifesaving position and, in this case, the National Right to Life Committee, Minnesota’s MCCL Global Outreach and the U.K.’s Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) are in Geneva to meet with delegates throughout the May 17-22 conference.

Fischbach said the pro-life groups "to make an enormous impact through presentations to attendees, who are in need of factual, reliable data on ways to reduce maternal mortality."

"The pro-life NGOs will take every opportunity to talk with delegates and share materials that explain the causal link between improved health care–including clean blood supply, antibiotics, adequate maternal care–and reduced maternal mortality rates," he said.

The World Health Assembly comes on the heels of the recent Lancet report on maternal mortality, which is on the minds of everyone in the global health community. The study found that better progress coming from improved maternal health care than has been indicated in dire reports from international health organizations.

"The Lancet report provides the perfect, strategic means to continue our push with health leaders for clean water, clean blood and an adequate health care system—not abortion—to decrease maternal mortality rates," explains Scott Fischbach, MCCL GO. "The report allows us an opportunity we do not usually have—the scientific community on our side—and we will share this vital information with attendees at the Assembly from around the world."

Related web sites:
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life – https://www.mccl.org

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