As the Organization of American States, the Western Hemisphere’s lead policy making body, gathered June 26 to 28 in the South American capital, the Coalition for Human Development sought to stop multiple proposed changes of language that would endanger children and families and demonize pro-life and pro-family groups.
The Coalition for Human Development is composed of forty-five pro-life organisations throughout the Americas, which holds membership in the assembly as a Civil Society Organization.
The 54th Regular Session of the Organization of American States General Assembly saw the coalition of pro-life bodies lobby the OAS, with some very heartening results. Strong delegations from life-affirming nations, especially Argentina and Paraguay, added to the impact.
The Human Life International Coalition for Human Development effectively…
- Neutralized manipulation of the term “hate speech” preventing it from being used to censor and persecute pro-life and pro-family organisations.
- Eliminated “sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights” from several attempts to introduce them into resolutions, and fully removed all other references to “sexual and reproductive health.”
- Blocked Canada’s attempt to elevate sexual and reproductive rights organizations and women’s rights groups to a more privileged status.
- Strengthened religious freedom references to protect pro-life and pro-family groups.
- Abolished the inclusion of the politically dicey term “intersectionality” and blanket references to women and girls “in all their diversity.”
Discussion over the issues was controversial, Martinez reported.
In one scenario, Canada wanted to include the term “sexual and reproductive rights” attempting to enshrine abortion in the text. Moderate delegates offered to amend the passages to read “sexual and reproductive health,” an expression that was supported by the pro-life representatives.
Annoyed, the Canadian representative proposed complete elimination from the concerned text, stating, “If sexual and reproductive rights are not included, then it makes no sense to include sexual and reproductive health.”
To which the Argentinean delegate remarked, “It is unbelievable that for Canada, if there is no abortion, there can be no health either.”