As President Obama nears the end of his term his foreign policy remains indecipherable even to experts. His reticence in foreign affairs – even in cases of genocide – is legendary, except for one matter. A coordinated game plan on one key issue emerges through officials’ speeches, obscure overseas funding, even “buttonholing” diplomats in UN […]
Nigeria’s incoming president is disappointing pro-abortion advocates who met with him recently to demand more money. A coalition of family planning groups that promote and commit abortions gave Muhammadu Buhari a list of demands They complained that Nigeria’s pledge to spend $11.35 million annually on family planning commodities has “not been fully realized as promised” at […]
“We had to limit the number of people in each diocese who could come,” said one organizer of a pro-life and pro-family conference in Ibadan, Nigeria. Over 1,500 filled the auditorium, and even then people spilled outside. One region with a small Christian population extended invitations to their Muslim neighbors who gladly attended. Bishops in […]
Every seat in the UN auditorium was filled, with a waiting line outside, to hear about making babies. “Online baby making, buying and selling eggs, renting wombs,” said Jennifer Lahl. “We no longer beget our children, we make our children, we build our families.” Lahl is a pediatric nurse turned film director. Her documentaries explore […]
This year – the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Women’s Conference – thousands of delegates and civil society representatives are gathered in New York to assess 20 years of progress on women’s issues. Rather than haggle late into the nights as is done each year at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, countries […]
After decades resisting even mentioning the word, governments and advocates extolled the “family” at two special sessions at the UN last week. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. Pro-family advocates feared it would pass unnoticed, a casualty of the culture war. Some at the UN portray the family […]
Pope Francis starkly warned European leaders last month they have lost trust by enacting policies that are “insensitive” and “harmful,” giving Europe the image of a “grandmother, no longer fertile” and breeding “certain rather selfish lifestyles.” They must guard against misusing the concept of human rights, he stated. One European Parliamentarian called it “a timely […]
Western pressure on African countries to liberalize policies on homosexuality has had a boomerang effect, uniting Africans against it and resulting in what some see as a new non-aligned movement of countries. Last week the United Nations elected a Ugandan as president of the General Assembly over last-ditch efforts by activists who, along with the […]
Reporters called one program “x-rated.” Another was dubbed “kindergarten sex ed.” A World Health Organization version led to a spectacular defeat in the European Parliament. UN delegates reject it as an assault on their culture. Comprehensive sexuality education often goes unchallenged – until people discover what it teaches. Now a new paper explains the politics […]
Wacoal, a Thai lingerie company, is redefining beauty with its “Beauty Inside” campaign. The short 7-minute videos tell stories, based on actual events, of women whose quiet sacrifices — including for an unborn child — win the admiration of men who tell the stories. And, tears from viewers. The message? Virtue is gorgeous. “Beauty Inside” […]
Rebecca Oas, Ph.D also contributed to this article. When Kenyans voted on a new constitution in 2010, a massive publicity campaign – heavily funded by the Obama administration – assured voters it would not legalize abortion. In fact, “Life begins at conception” is in the constitution. But the Constitution also allowed abortion in certain circumstances. […]
A recent statement by a US Ambassador demonstrates the wide gulf that exists at the UN on the question of abortion. Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens told the executive board of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) that a series of recent meetings have “helped strengthen our collective understanding of reproductive rights.” It would likely surprise people on […]
Croatians cast their ballots last Sunday and the result was swift and clear: 66% voted to add marriage is a “union between a man and a woman” in Croatia’s constitution. Government officials were unhappy, and called the marriage referendum divisive, discriminatory, and a waste of money. Reports of officials intimidating supporters leaked in the weeks […]
Russia, Ethiopia, Poland and others took the microphones at a meeting – webcast live from UN headquarters – to make clear that abortion and homosexuality are not international human rights. Diplomats especially chastised the UN’s human rights office for an obsession with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. Russia singled out a booklet produced […]
Inevitable. So we are told. Abortion and sexual rights (like same-sex marriage) will become universally accepted, so opponents might as well surrender. Not so fast. Take a look at what is happening in Brazil. Brazil presented itself as a world leader on sexual rights in 2003 when it introduced a UN resolution on sexual orientation […]
When RU-486, the abortion pill, was approved in the U.S. — after a scandalous campaign of political arm-twisting, media-pressure, and fudging of trial data by abortionists — it came with strict regulations. Now the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether states can require abortionists to follow those safety measures. A fascinating history of the multi-year […]
A U.S. judge is allowing a lawsuit by a Ugandan homosexual group charging an Evangelical pastor with a “crime against humanity.” The American pastor is accused of violating international law for speaking against homosexuality and discussing legislation with Ugandan leaders. Scott Lively, an attorney and author, runs the Holy Grounds coffee house in Massachusetts where […]
The self-styled “master planner” of a 1990s landmark population conference last week lamented the failure to subsequently advance reproductive rights, often a code for abortion. Tossing aside her prepared speech, former UN Population Fund chief Nafis Sadik revealed she used donations to enable activists to be on government delegations to the 1994 Cairo conference. Cairo […]
As countries are deadlocked over negotiations going late into the night at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the US and European Union have played a deadly card. One that contradicts a foundational principle of citizens and civilizations worldwide, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. […]
Senator Tom Coburn’s tearful tribute of Michael Schwartz on the Senate floor in December threw a spotlight on a humble yet fierce advocate for the weak. A pro-life advocate since before Roe v. Wade, Michael devoted his life, intellect and influence to his driving passion: defending the unborn and defenseless. For many, Michael was not […]
Here it is again. That nasty theory that certain populations (i.e. people of color) need to be culled at any cost, using “drastic” measures, is being touted on the webpages of the respected journal Foreign Policy. The excuse this time is to reduce terrorists. And the target is people in Mali – the very people […]
A new manual by the World Health Organization (WHO) on how to do abortions is facing criticism for advocating substandard medical care and a ban on all limits to abortion. Aimed particularly at poor women in developing countries, the manual downplays medical oversight and recommends disposing of the “waste,” including babies’ remains, in sewers or latrines. A […]
How would you explain the right to follow one’s conscience? It’s become a huge issue in the U.S. with the Obama administration requiring employers to pay for insurance that covers abortion and contraception. Even more directly, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has told governments that “laws and policies that impede access […]
They didn’t see that coming. Planned Parenthood’s support of the UN Disability treaty has put the abortion group in an awkward position. In the abortion group’s zeal to support the treaty because it endorses the right of persons with disabilities to access “reproductive health care,” it neglects to notice that the same treaty would require […]
