Commission on the Status of Women: Maternal Mortality and Abortion

Josh Craddock
2/17/12
Commission on the Status of Women: Maternal Mortality and Abortion
 
From February 27 to March 9, the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council will be focused on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The CSW is frequently used as a front to advance resolutions which subtly promote abortion and lethal birth control services in developing nations. One such resolution I’ve been gathering information on is the “Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women.“ 
 
Based on draft I’ve reviewed, this resolution relies on obsolete data regarding causes of maternal death and prioritizes an abortion-advocating agenda above actual prevention. The United States introduced language advocating “comprehensive sexuality education” in the resolution. Establishing this as a right at the United Nations is a primary goal of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).
 
Focusing on tangible solutions like increasing the quality of pre-natal and post-natal health care and access to antibiotics for infections would greatly reduce maternal mortality. Most maternal deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and are the result of hemorrhage and infection. Notably, these conditions are also often complications associated with surgical abortion. Yet the resolution currently calls for greater “reproductive rights” and “sexual and reproductive health services” which are usually a camouflage for increasing abortion by groups like IPPF. 
 
Perhaps this is part of why developed nations, despite their higher quality health care systems, have very low maternal mortality rates overall but a greater rate of maternal deaths caused by abortion. Studies conducted by the World Health Organization show that nations that reduced their maternal mortality rate most substantially were those that maintained bans on abortion, such as the Maldives, Bhutan, and Iran. Legalizing abortion, however, often corresponded with a rising rate of maternal mortality.
 
Personhood advocates at the UN are currently making this information available to delegates. We encourage amendments to the resolution in order to focus on the root causes of maternal mortality rather than pursuing agenda-driven advocacy for abortion