By Doreen Denny, Vice President of Government Relations.
Protecting the sanctity of human life on the global stage was among the first acts of the Trump Administration and is set to become a lasting achievement. During his first days in office, President Trump expanded the Mexico City Policy as Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance in an Executive Order. His administration pursued a rulemaking to help secure these protections. While we can anticipate hostile action by the new administration, the fruitful effort of the Trump Administration coalescing nations to commit to policies that promote life and human flourishing will undercut their premise for any “stroke of the pen” retractions of pro-life policy in U.S. global health assistance going forward.
The Geneva Consensus Declaration initiated by the United States with co-sponsors Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda, and co-signed by 28 additional countries provides an indelible legacy, even if a new administration seeks to reverse course. The joint declaration of October 22, 2020, Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family, asserts the commitment of coalition nations working together to promote better health care for women, protect human life, strengthen the family unit as the foundation of society, and declare every nation’s sovereignty in global politics. By “reaffirming the inherent dignity and worth of the human person,” the Geneva Consensus Declaration underscores every nation’s sovereign right to push back international abortion ideology and pass their own laws regarding abortion.
In December 2020, the U.S government, on behalf of supporting countries, officially filed the pro-life Geneva Consensus Declaration with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Kelly Craft, Permanent Representative of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, instructed the Secretary-General to circulate the declaration with member states as part of the official record of the General Assembly ”inviting all Member States to sign the declaration.”
The declaration has now been issued as an official document of the United Nations and translated into all six official UN languages. This action ensures that the Geneva Consensus Declaration and the good work of the Trump Administration will continue on the world stage, giving other UN member states the opportunity to embrace the declaration, even if U.S. leadership should falter.
As President Trump stated at the 2019 United Nations General Assembly, “Americans will never tire of defending innocent life. We are aware that many United Nations projects have attempted to assert a global right to taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, right up until the moment of delivery. Global bureaucrats have absolutely no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that wish to protect innocent life. Like many nations here today, we in America believe that every child born and unborn is a sacred gift from God.”
Over 76 percent of Americans continue to oppose American taxpayer dollars supporting abortion in other countries. Abortion that destroys innocent human life is not healthcare and should not be promoted as a legitimate form of family planning. There is no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation to finance or facilitate abortion. Every nation has the sovereign right to implement programs and activities consistent with its own laws and policies. They should be able to preserve human dignity as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Consensus Declaration, not be bullied by pro-abortion nations.
Please join CWA in praying for the incoming administration to stand for life: Lord, we beseech You for the future direction of our country and pray that the United States government will continue to stand for the dignity and worth of every human life.