British government to push abortion, contraception in MDGs

The British government has pledged to place an “unprecedented focus” on “family planning,” including abortion, in its efforts to forward the UN’s Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), reports Hilary White, LifeSiteNews.com.

The government particularly focused on abortion in a July 27 press release, saying that “safe” abortion is the solution to the estimated 70,000 deaths a year “from an estimated 20 million unsafe abortions.”

“Ensuring abortion services are safe, and that post-abortion care is provided, saves lives,” the statement said. “And increasing access to family planning will avert many thousands of unintended pregnancies and abortions every year.”

Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, told a UN conference in London that the part of the MDGs that are “the most off-track” are those surrounding “reproductive and maternal health,” UN euphemisms that typically include abortion, contraception and sterilization.

Mitchell announced the launch of the government’s “Choice for Women - Wanted Pregnancies, Safe Births” program.

The MDGs are eight international development goals, agreed to by all 192 UN member states in 2000, covering reducing poverty, child and maternal mortality rates and fighting global disease epidemics such as AIDS.

“The international community has failed to assist millions of women by ignoring the complexities of why at least a third of a million women in the world's poorest countries die during pregnancy and childbirth each year,” Mitchell said. “For too long we've been trying to tackle the issue with one hand tied behind our backs.

“The Department for International Development will now have an unprecedented focus on family planning, which will be hard-wired into all our country programs.”

But Anthony Ozimic, communications manager for the Society of the Protection of Unborn Children, said that there is “absolutely no truth” to the claim that abortion and contraception can prevent maternal and infant mortality.

“Abortion is not healthcare but an attack on life. Abortion doesn't treat the real reasons why a mother's life or health may be in danger,” Ozimic said.

Ozimic called for the international development department to be “purged of the anti-natalist apparatchiks.” He continued, “It is lamentable, though unsurprising, that the department for international development under the new coalition government is pursuing the same outdated pro-abortion ideology as it did under the Blair-Brown government.”

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TAGS: United Kingdom family planning abortion Millenium Development Goals contraception sterilization

[08/03/2010]

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