New worldwide consensus declaration signed, and it's pro-life!

A virtual gathering was held Thursday in Washington, D.C., by a coalition of nations that have signed a new Geneva Consensus Declaration that there is "no human right to abortion."

The gathering took place online because COVID-19 interrupted plans for a World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva.

The governments of Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Uganda and the United States cosponsored the virtual meeting, which produced a document that seeks "(1) better health for women, (2) the preservation of human life, (3) strengthening of family as the foundational unit of society, and (4) protecting every nation's national sovereignty in global politics."

Elyssa Koren of ADF International, which supports the plan, noted the U.S. and 31 other countries now have affirmed "their commitment to protecting pregnant mothers and their unborn children and unequivocally declaring that there is no human right to abortion."

"Today, 32 countries have confirmed their commitment to protecting human rights for the most vulnerable members of society. The Geneva Consensus Declaration, signed by world leaders, makes clear that there is ‘no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation’ on the part of nations around the world to finance or facilitate abortion. The declaration affirms what we already know from international law—that while there is no human right to an abortion, there is a right to life, and it must be protected. We applaud the governments involved for taking steps to better support all pregnant women and invest resources in supporting both lives in a pregnancy—that of the mother and her unborn child," she said.

Dr. Jeffrey Barrows, a senior vice president for the Christian Medical Association, said the objective is a "a noble framework for consensus global engagement on women's health issues."

"As an obstetrician, I especially appreciate the Declaration's dual emphasis on mother and child. The Declaration reaffirms both that 'motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance', and ‘the inherent dignity and worth of the human person.’ It also notes that 'the child ... needs special safeguards and care ... before as well as after birth' and that 'special measures of protection and assistance should be taken on behalf of all children,' based on the principle of the best interest of the child.'"

The CMA has some 20,000 members.

Is abortion a "human right"?

Video of the event was posted online:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the new document affirms that "all are equal before the law."

The nations seek to "ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and equal opportunity for women at all levels of political, economic and public life," as well as "Improve and secure access to health and development gains for women, including sexual and reproductive health, which must always promote optimal health, the highest attainable standard of health, without including abortion."

"There is no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation on the part of states to finance or facilitate abortion," the statement said.

Sponsors include Bahrain, Belarus, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Gambia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Nauru, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, the United States and Zambia.

Jonathan Imbody of the CMA said, "We appreciate the commitment of Secretaries Pompeo and Azar to achieving the goals outlined in the Geneva Consensus Declaration, and the vital work behind the scenes by many such as Valerie Huber, HHS's Special Representative for Global Women’s Health, that made this event possible.

"When surveyed on women's global health, our members serving in medical missions around the world have overwhelmingly agreed that 'Rather than advocating for abortion rights, the international health community, governments and international bodies should instead focus energy, time and resources on meeting women's health needs for which there is widespread agreement regarding strategies.'"