(Aleteia) Geneva Consensus Declaration upholds nations’ right to determine laws affecting the unborn.
In the week leading up to the United Nations’ 75th anniversary, the United States and 31 other countries signed a declaration stating that there is no international right to abortion and reaffirming individual countries’ right to decide abortion laws for themselves.
The Geneva Convention Declaration, sponsored by Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Uganda, and the U.S., was signed in a virtual ceremony October 22.
The signing was originally planned to take place on the margins of the 2020 World Health Assembly in Geneva, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic it had to be done through a video conference.
Signatories pledged to support the role of the family as “foundational to society and as a source of health, support, and care.”
The declaration reaffirms that “all are equal before the law” and that “human rights of women are an inalienable, integral, and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
“In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning,” the signatories agree. “Any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national legislative process.” Further, they reaffirm that “the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State,” that “motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance,” and that “women play a critical role in the family.”
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