Parliamentary Network E-News

Volume 14
No. 3
May, 2020

Focus on the United Nations

UN Promotes Abortion as a Human Right during COVID-19

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres released a policy brief COVID-19 and Human Rights: We are all in this together which includes the concern about what is described as "limited access to sexual and reproductive health and rights". The brief includes recommending actions to "mitigate the impact of the crisis on women and girls, including on their access to sexual and reproductive health/rights". The controversial term-sexual and reproductive health/rights-is widely used to promote access to abortion as both a so-called reproductive and sexual right.

Guidance from the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights-COVID-19 and Women's Human Rights: Guidance-also promotes abortion as a human right.

The guidance states that "sexual and reproductive health services should be seen as a life-saving priority and integral to the response", including "safe abortion care". It laments that "there are reports of States including abortion among 'non-essential surgeries and medical procedures' to be delayed during the COVID-19 response."

Highlighted are actions by governments to make "sexual and reproductive health services available and accessible" including the decision by the UK to "allow for women to take abortion pills at home". The Telehealth Services launched by abortion provider Planned Parenthood of Greater New York is praised as a service "that allows patients to access a range of sexual and reproductive health services".

The WHO: US Halts Funding, COVID-19, and Abortion

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been at the center of the coronavirus pandemic leading President Trump to announce the halting of U.S. funds to the U.N. organization "while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus." Trump's action was praised by pro-life advocates who oppose the increased activism at the WHO in support of abortion and by organizations opposed to China's coercive birth control policies while being denounced by pro-abortion activists.

The president of abortion provider, Ipas, called President Trump's decision "a dangerous move that will hinder efforts to coordinate the global public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic." She confirmed WHO's pro-abortion agenda stating, "WHO is a valuable resource for governments and health professionals around the world, and has been an important partner to Ipas in our efforts to prevent maternal mortality by expanding access to safe abortion and contraception."

In recent days, WHO has been a critical voice for protecting women's reproductive health and rights during the COVID-19 crisis. COVID-19 clinical guidance issued by WHO states that "women's choices and rights to sexual and reproductive health care should be respected irrespective of COVID-19 status, including access to contraception and safe abortion to the full extent of the law."

Evidence of the WHO's promotion of abortion was also demonstrated during a recent webinar-COVID-19: What Implications for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights?- hosted by the Sexual Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM) journal. Dr. Antonella Lavalanet, a medical officer on the WHO's "Maternal and Perinatal Health & Preventing Unsafe Abortion Team," said during her presentation that abortion should be considered an "essential service" during the coronavirus crisis. The WHO representative also said that even "where supplies of antibiotics are not available, abortion should not be denied" and that women should be encouraged to self-abort at home during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Defending Life

U.S.: 159 Members of the Senate and House Seek Enforcement of Abortion Regulations

A letter signed by 121 members of the House and 38 senators and led by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) in the Senate and Rep. Robert E. Latta (R-Ohio) in the House was sent to U.S. Food and Drug Administrator Stephen Hahn, M.D. calling on the FDA to maintain its regulations of the abortion pill Mifepristone as written in its Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) list. The FDA requires that a woman (1) be handed the Mifepristone at a clinic, medical office, or hospital under the supervision of a healthcare provider; (2) the healthcare provider must be registered with the drug manufacturer; and (3) the patient must sign a "Patient Agreement" form confirming that she has received counseling on the risks associated with Mifepristone. As PNCI reported last month, 21 attorneys general wrote a letter demanding a change in current Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), seeking the lifting of the restrictions on Mifepristone.

The Members of Congress explain, "We write to urge you to continue to robustly enforce the REMS for medication abortion and end dangerous runarounds of these protections under the guise of medical research." They warned that complications from chemical abortions-including include blood loss and cramping-can be severe enough to require surgery in between five to seven percent of cases.

The legislators raised concern that "medication abortion becomes even more dangerous in situations where women cannot access emergency medical care. This is especially concerning during the COVID-19 pandemic as emergency rooms are currently being overwhelmed."

"While hospitals are being pushed to their limits because of the growing number of people severely ill as a result of COVID-19, we should minimize, not increase, unrelated pressures on our health care providers," they stated.

The lawmakers also asked the FDA "to conduct oversight into ongoing studies to remotely dispense medication abortion to women, which is a violation of the REMS." The letter specifically mentions Gynuity's TelAbortion project which first allowed by the FDA in 2015 to test mailing abortion pills directly to women and has been extended continuously. It is now operating in 13 states and the legislators express concern that this test project is "transmuting in national policy" as Gynuity seeks to expand the project to additional states "without adequate evaluation or oversight".

Gynuity is also very active internationally and is working to develop additional clinical indications for Mifepristone which currently only has one use-to block the flow of nutrients to the unborn child causing his or her death by starvation. By developing additional indications, Gynuity hopes to secure registration of Mifepristone in countries with laws and policies that prohibit abortion. According to Gynuity, "Gynuity has been developing indications for mifepristone as a regulatory strategy to get the drug into countries with restrictive abortion laws, where mifepristone is not currently available... Gynuity was awarded a grant from the RHSC's Innovation Fund to conduct a landscape analysis that will identify market gaps, bottlenecks and potential country-level opportunities to register and commercialize mifepristone for its other indications."

UK: House of Lords committee concern over extreme abortion regulations

A committee in the House of Lords tasked with legislation scrutiny published a report on the abortion regulations that the British government imposed on North Ireland which previously allowed abortion only for the mother's life or serious physical or mental health risks. The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee's April 23 report by the committee, which includes members of the Conservative Party, Labour, and the Liberal Democrats and crossbenchers, found that the regulations are more expansive than were required and that opposition to the change was not given the attention it deserved. The Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020, enacted on March 31, allows abortion on demand up to 12 weeks of pregnancy; abortions up to 24 weeks for the mother's physical or mental health; and abortion without time limit in cases of severe fetal impairment or fatal fetal abnormality.

The committee noted that nearly all the submissions it received were critical of the regulations' provision for conscientious objection which is allowed only for direct participation in abortion. The committee found that the exclusion from conscientious objection of those who perform ancillary, administrative, or managerial tasks may be "too narrow and does not adequately protect" the rights to religious or philosophical beliefs under the European Convention on Human Rights.

It wrote, "Given the sensitivity of the issues around conscientious objection, the House may wish to ask the Minister to consider further the scope of the policy and how it will be interpreted.

The regulation of abortion in cases of severe fetal impairment or fatal fetal abnormality was also found to be contrary to EU law by the committee. It stated that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) "extends to those in the womb", in contrast with the recommendations to legalize abortion by the CEDAW committee, the basis for the change. However, the Northern Ireland Office believes that the UNCRPD is not binding law stating: "we do not agree that the provision extends protection to those in the womb."

Other submissions noted that "severe disability" could be interpreted differently and could include cleft lip or Down syndrome, and that the CEDAW recommendation requires the provision of abortion for "severe foetal impairment", while not "perpetuating sterotypes towards persons with disabilities."

Lord David Alton of Liverpool commented that Northern Ireland's abortion law "should have been decided in Northern Ireland not imposed by Westminster. Both Parliament and the Northern Ireland Office have shown great contempt for the people of Northern Ireland - and for normal constitutional and parliamentary good practice - in seeking to impose, by diktat, laws which in the rest of the UK have led to one child in the womb being aborted every three minutes."

Lord Alton wrote that the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee's report highlights "that this issue needs to be reconsidered in Northern Ireland by the Assembly which is responsible for what the law and policy on this issue. Riding roughshod over the Assembly in this way shows contempt for devolution, power sharing, proper political process, and the people of Northern Ireland."

The bishops of Northern Ireland have expressed their opposition to new regulations in a letter to Members of Northern Ireland's Legislative Assembly in which the bishops call on the legislators to revise the "extreme Regulations" so that they reflect the position of the majority of the people in Northern Ireland. According to the Northern Ireland Office, during a government consultation last December, 79 per cent of people in Northern Ireland expressed a desire for regulations that protect the life of the unborn child.

The European Parliament adopted joint resolution EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences (2020/2616(RSP) in which it called upon Member States to guarantee access to abortion and condemned pro-life changes to national laws. In the section entitled Protecting democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights, section 48 states:

"Calls on the Member States to effectively guarantee safe and timely access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and the necessary healthcare services for all women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially access to contraception, including emergency contraception, and to abortion care; strongly rejects any attempts to backtrack on SRHR and LGBTI rights, and in this context condemns the attempts to further criminalise abortion care, stigmatise HIV positive people, and undermine young people's access to sexuality education in Poland, as well as the attack on transgender and intersex people's rights in Hungary;"

The International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion called the resolution an "incredible document, which clearly took a huge amount of negotiation".

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 395 in favor, 171 opposed, and 128 absent.

International Pressure for Abortion

Europe: NGOs Demand Access to Abortion in Pro-Life Countries

Pro-abortion organizations active in Europe targeted six European countries where abortion is illegal or tightly restricted in an open letter calling on them to change their laws which they claim “place women’s health and lives at risk” during the coronavirus pandemic. The countries- Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Poland and San Marino-have various laws and policies which protect children in the womb and their mothers from the violence of abortion. The 100 organizations, including the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Reproductive Rights, International Planned Parenthood Federation - European Network, Ipas, and Women on Web, listed their abortion access demands in the letter European governments must ensure safe and timely access to abortion care during the COVID-19 pandemic as they use the pandemic as an ‘opportunity’ to pressure for changes to laws restricting abortion which they call “barriers” to “essential health care”.

They claim that the removal of abortion restrictions are recommended by medical experts citing three WHO guidance documents- Safe abortion: Technical & policy guidance for health systems Legal and policy considerations; Health worker roles in providing safe abortion care and post-abortion contraception; and Expanding health worker roles for safe abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy, Summary.

The “urgent steps” recommended by the NGOs to be adopted and “at a minimum remain in place for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic” read like a pro-abortion ‘wish list’ to enable easy access to abortion and the overturning of modest regulations on abortion.

Read more here.

Council of Europe COVID-19 Resource Page includes Pro-Abortion Activism

The Council of Europe (COE) has created a new resource page displaying “civil society initiatives” in regards to the COCID-19 crisis that is largely composed of statements calling for greater access to abortion by pro-abortion organizations. The introduction to the page states: “Non-governmental organisations, and notably women’s rights organisations, are instrumental in raising awareness about the various ways and aspects of women’s lives which have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. This page aims at compiling the various initiatives, statements, reports and other relevant work carried out by NGOs, with particular regard to European and international NGOs.”

The site includes statements by Amnesty International criticizing Poland’s attempt to enact greater pro-life protections, criticism by Human Rights Watch of the six European countries where abortion is still illegal or severely restricted, pro-abortion statements by a number of NGOs including the Center for Reproductive Rights and International Planned Parenthood Federation. Also included is a link to the webinar hosted by Sexual and Reproductive health matters entitled COVID-19: What implications for sexual and reproductive health and rights?during which a WHO official spoke of abortion as an essential service.

UK: Judge Upholds Ban on Pro-Life Poster Featuring Aborted Baby

A UK judge has ruled to uphold a ban on a pro-life poster featuring an aborted baby. Christian Hacking was protesting the pro-abortion politics of Labour MP Stella Creasy- instrumental in passage of legislation to change Northern Ireland’s abortion policy under the guise of being compliant with CEDAW- when the Walthan Forest borough council issued him a Community Protection Notice (CPN), banning the display. MP Creasy claimed she felt “harassed” by the display. Hacking appealed the decision, arguing the ban was a violation of human rights. This month, district judge Jonathan Radway ruled that the poster’s display in town was “sickening” and “beyond the margin of what freedom of expression requires”.

Following the decision, Christian Hacking said, “I am deeply disappointed that our appeal to show the reality of abortion to the people of Waltham Forest has not been successful. The real victim of abortion is not MP Stella Creasy, or those negatively impacted by its visualisation, but the unborn child.

“How can we see positive change in the UK if politicians and councils are allowed to dictate how we express peaceable opinions in public? For the sake of the unborn and for freedom of speech, we must take this appeal further and hold those authorities to account.”

The CEDAW report championed by Ms. Creasy includes actions to be taken against pro-life protestors in the very last line of the report: “(g) Protect women from harassment by anti-abortion protestors by investigating complaints, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators.”

Africa: Sweden Funding Abortion, not PPE and Ventilators

The Swedish Development Agency (SIDA) announced that it is partnering with abortion industry giant DKT to deliver abortion products to six countries in southern and eastern Africa: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda, instead of providing personal protective equipment or ventilators so desperately needed to fight COVID-19.

SIDA is giving 20 million SEK (appox $2,000,000 US dollars) for the following: 1) purchase additional Manual Vacuum Aspirators (MVA) for use in the Democratic Republic of Congo which allows abortion for health; 2) supply additional abortion-inducing pills and long-acting contraceptives in Ethiopia 3) provide additional emergency contraceptive pills and abortion-inducing drugs in Kenya and Uganda, both of which tightly restrict abortion; 4) increase number of “medical abortion products” and birth control pills in Mozambique 5) purchase includes more “medical abortion products” in Tanzania, abortion is only legal for life of the mother.

Sweden’s action was praised by Countdown 2030, a coalition of organizations that lobby for unfettered access to abortion, in its press release COVID-19: System strengthening and support to SRHR - the case of Sweden.

Sida’s partners in development include WHO, UNFPA and large and small civil society organizations.

Pro-abortion appeal to the Americas: Abortion is an essential service

A trio of pro-abortion organizations active in the Americas and at the Organizations of American States (OAS)-Women’s Link Worldwide, Amnesty International and the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region-released a statement that calls for access to abortion as an essential service during the response to COVID-19. The organizations calls for governments to ensure “availability of and access to sexual and reproductive health services as essential services and include them in efforts to prioritize assistance for specific groups during the COVID-19 crisis response”.

The list includes access to “voluntary termination of pregnancy services” during quarantine and “any contingency plans adopted should take this into account”. In regard to travel restrictions, the NGOs believe that States “should adopt measures to facilitate access to voluntary termination of pregnancy services using medication and tele-health tools. They should also designate post-abortion care as an essential service during times of quarantine and isolation.”

In addition, the NGOs want States to “consider increasing flexibility” in regards to gestational limits on access to abortion on demand.

Letter to Governments and UN to Apply a Gender Lens to COVID-19

The Deliver for Good Campaign, a project of pro-abortion Women Deliver, organized an NGO letter advancing access to abortion calling on governments and the United Nations “to commit both in words and action to placing gender equality and girls’ and women’s health, rights, and wellbeing at the heart of all COVID-19 normative guidance, programs, and investments”. They call for a “gender lense” to be applied to “put girls, women, and gender equality at the center of COVID-19 preparedness, response, and recovery”.

The NGOs state that governments must: “Safeguard girls’ and women’s essential sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), as well as their access to services, supplies, and information. Do not let emergency response be used to divert resources or justify targeted restrictions or regulations that limit access to SRHR.”

They express concern that during crisis, health system become strained and access to abortion is one of the “health services” that is the first to be “deprioritized”.

The letter is also directed at the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is intended as a message for long term recovery and development. The Campaign explains, “Global commitment, solidarity, and collective action will be critical - not only for a sustainable COVID-19 response - but for a sustainable future grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that powers progress for all. Gender equality cannot wait.”

One of the signers, Ipas, explains its international work providing and promotingabortion in its article ‘Abortion remains essential during the coronavirus outbreak’ focusing on countries that include India, Kenya, Zambia, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bolivia.

Details on its latest study-Developing and Testing Interventions to Address Conscientious Objection to Abortion Care in Mexico and South Africa-reveal the pro-abortion goal to minimize or eliminate conscientious objection described as “a growing barrier to abortion care, and evidence suggests that it is being incorrectly used as a justification for public sector medical providers and institutions to exempt themselves from their duties to provide essential reproductive health services for women.”

Planned Parenthood: Telehealth is the "Silver Lining" of Pandemic

Planned Parenthood’s president has celebrated a “silver lining” of the COVID-19 pandemic as the abortion provider has expanded its telehealth services. Alexis McGill-Johnson, acting president of Planned Parenthood, said in an interview that the company would have telehealth services available in all 50 states by May. She also noted the provision of medical abortion via virtual platforms such as Skype. She explained, “...that patient will come and pick up the prescription and go home and take that medication safely at home. And then we are able to do follow-up care, again via telehealth.” Pro-life leaders and legislators have cautioned of an increase in the use of abortion drugs during the coronavirus and urged the FDA to hold firm to regulations related to chemical abortion.

European Parliament: Seeks Access to Abortion in COVID-19 Resolution

The European Parliament adopted joint resolution EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences (2020/2616(RSP) in which it called upon Member States to guarantee access to abortion and condemned pro-life changes to national laws. Section 48, Protecting democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights, states:

The International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion called the resolution an "incredible document, which clearly took a huge amount of negotiation".

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 395 in favor, 171 opposed, and 128 absent.

Legislative News

Poland: Bill Banning Abortion for Disability Sent Back to Committee

MPs in Poland voted to delay pro-life legislation, sending a bill that would have restricted access to abortion back to committee. The proposed bill would ban abortions due to fetal anomaly or fatal disease and had passed a preliminary vote in the parliament’s lower house. Abortion advocates strongly protested the legislation, saying it would effectively prohibit all abortions in the country. The bill now awaits further action or it will die in committee. Polish President Andrzej Duda has indicated he would sign the bill into law, saying in a recent interview: “I believe that killing children with disabilities is simply murder. If a project opposing this issue will find itself on my desk, I will certainly sign it.”

UK: Government Will Not Review Euthanasia Law

Despite strong pressure from activists, the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, has announced that the UK government does not plan to review its euthanasia law. The Lord Chancellor told the Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights that the government does not “currently have any plans to initiate a review of the law in this area or to indeed publish a call for evidence”. Buckland told the parliament he had “grave doubts” a change in law would not be subject to abuse. Ciarán Kelly, a Deputy Director at The Christian Institute, welcomed the announcement. “The elderly, the disabled and others would be put at grave risk if existing legal protections were removed. It is good to see that the Lord Chancellor and the Government recognise this,” said Kelly. “They are right to stand firm – not least at a time when so much is being done to protect the lives of the most vulnerable.”

South Australia: Parliament Votes for Temporary Changes to Abortion Law

South Australia moved to make abortions available at home via telehealth services in its recently passed COVID-19 Emergency Response 2020 Act. The Act permits “various temporary modifications” to current laws during the pandemic. Current law in South Australia requires abortions be approved by two doctors and performed in a medical facility. Surgical abortions are still accessible since abortion services were deemed essential. The law now awaits implementation by police commissioner Grant Stevens who must declare the modifications to the law.

Executive News

Kenya Issues COVID-19 Pregnancy Guidelines, Does Not Include Abortion

Kenya does not include abortion in its COVID-19 guide for maternity services and abortion activists are furious. The COVID-19 Guide for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Family Planning Care and Services includes a thorough and thoughtful discussion of service provision including telehealth services for pregnancy and reproductive health, labor and delivery services with medical facilities with skilled birth attendants. The guide does not include any reference to abortion services, a point the International Campaign for Safe Abortion calls a “glaring absence.” The abortion advocacy group states, “Hopefully, before version 2 is ready, some of the advisors who contributed will convince the Minister to make up this failing.”

Pope Offers Prayers for Politicians

Pope Francis prayed for all men and women serving in public office. “Let us pray today for the men and women who have a political vocation. Politics is a high form of charity,” he prayed. Pope Francis prayed political parties would work together for the common good as they work through the pandemic and its accompanying challenges.

France: Emergency Ruling Increases Access to Abortion Pills at Home

France’s Health authority issued an emergency ruling extending access to medical abortion. The new regulation permits abortion pills to be administered up to nine weeks at home. Previously, the law permitted access up until seven weeks and in a hospital setting. Abortion advocates had argued that access to abortions would be limited during pandemic as people are staying home. The decision was justified by “the need to guarantee women’s rights to access abortion during the Covid-19 epidemic and to avoid as much as possible that they go into a health facility,” said a statement.

India Suspends Rules Banning Prenatal Sex Determination Testing

The Indian government has suspended rules banning prenatal sex determination testing during pregnancy. The prohibition protects the use of ultrasound imaging to determine the baby’s sex, which tragically often leads to the abortion of unborn baby girls in India. The Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Rules of 1996 requires the detailed records of all prenatal scans, a requirement the ministry of health is waiving in the wake of COVID-19. CPM politburo member Brinda Karat questioned the move and its possible misuse by parents and clinic owners. "Suspending the rule means clinics need not produce any records till June 30. This could be misused by unscrupulous sections to conduct sex determination tests freely...Suspension of the (rules) may lead to sabotage of the law under the guise of the situation created by Covid-19," she said in a letter to the health minister.

Judicial News

Brazil: Supreme Court Rules Against Abortion for Zika Cases

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled against legalizing abortion in cases where the expectant mothers are diagnosed with Zika virus. The “Direct Action on Unconstitutionality-ADI 5581”was a case filed by the National Association of Public Defenders. In 2015, instances of the Zika virus corresponded with spikes in cases of microcephaly and incomplete brain development, suggesting a strong link. Further study since the case was filed has led to technical and scientific knowledge that refutes the premise of the case based on a strong correlation between Zika and microcephaly.

Raphael Câmara, an obstetrician at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro explained that there are now answers to the questions being raised in the case, such as a low rate of transmission from mother to baby of 5 to 14%. “In addition, a study recently released by the CDC showed that 73% of Brazilian labs have a low accuracy rate for diagnosing the Zika virus, so the request is meaningless because we cannot talk about someone 'infected with Zika', but rather 'maybe infected by Zika.’ Is it based on this inaccuracy that we will kill fetuses?” said Câmara.

Pro-life groups in Brazil have opposed efforts to expand abortion in Brazil, garnering 184,000 signatures on a CitizenGo petition against the case, and the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference has urged citizensn and the Supreme Court to uphold the dignity of every human life.

Netherlands: Court Rules Against At Home Abortions

A Dutch court rejected an application to make abortion pills available at home. Current law requires women seeking abortion to visit a clinic to receive a medical abortion. Abortion groups Women on Waves and Buerau Clara Wichmann claim women are unable to go to clinic due to COVID-19 self-isolating guidelines and are pushing for the change. The court has yet to publish its official statement explaining the ruling.