Earlier this year, Pat Buckley, SPUC's chief lobbyist at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva,launched an appeal to church leaders and pro-life groups worldwide to oppose an extreme, "ideologically driven" pro-abortion report produced by Navanethem Pillay, the High Commissioner on Human Rights, being "bounced through the Human Rights Council. Pat said at the time:
"This report is being bounced through the United Nations forums, blatantly ignoring any evidence which disputes its conclusions and deliberately avoiding debate. The clear intention of the powers-that be is to use this ideologically-driven report's findings to influence the Millennium Development Goals Review later this year at the UN in New York."At Pat Buckley's instigation, SPUC issued a worldwide alert in five languages warning that a right to abortion, under the guise of reproductive health, would be proposed at a United Nations (UN) summit in New York between 20 and 22 September 2010 and urging pro-lifers around the world to take action - in particular to contact the most relevant government officials in their countries objecting to the attempts being made to promote abortion under the guise of reproductive health.
May I take this opportunity of thanking all those who took action to defend unborn children and their mothers throughout the world, including our colleagues in other pro-life organizations and courageous delegates from pro-life nations.
Carmen Barroso, regional director of International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region, has written to pro-abortion lobbyists saying that the Summit ’s Outcome Document ... officially adopted by the General Assembly on the 22nd of September ... neglects any reference to safe abortion, comprehensive sexuality education, adolescents ... indicating that there is still much work to be done." [This language is pro-abortion code for legalized abortion and unrestricted access to abortion for children from 12 upwards.]
Please keep SPUC's lobbyists at the UN in your prayers, in particular Pat Buckley and Peter Smith who spend up to six months of the year away from their families working morning, noon and night to try to stop anti-life, anti-family language going into international agreements. Pat leaves for the UN in New York on Monday for a three-week stint and Peter leaves for New York in November for a similar tour of duty. It's hard, grinding work - generously supported by the Society's donors. Thanks to all.
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