Women Speak Up Against Sex-Selected Abortions at U.N. Conference
NEW YORK – Representatives from 45 member states of the United Nations have gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York for the 51st annual session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women.
Alongside the U.N. session, a strong pro-life voice consisting of women from organizations around the United States is hosting several seminars to speak to the CSW, which has gathered to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide. At the talks, the pro-life women will speak about the dangers and effects of abortion as well as denouncing the sex-selected abortions which are seen in parts of the world.
The theme of this year’s CSW session, running Feb. 26 - Mar. 9, is “the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child.” Among the many issues, the pro-life women are trying to impact the CSW and persuade them to have a discussion on abortion as a priority topic.
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“Violence to the girl child through the trauma of abortion is happening in several countries around the world,” explained Molly White, one of the women in the anti-abortion group and founder of Women for Life International, in a statement.
According to the group of pro-lifers, the most alarming issue is the gender-biased abortions that take place in some countries. A number of societies place men at a highly elevated rank over females. If a mother has a limit to the amount of children that she can have, as has been seen in China, she will often abort her daughters in an attempt to only birth male children.
The CSW is addressing this problem during the conference, advocating for gender equality in education and social status. In that way, girl childs will be equally valuable as boys.
However, the group of pro-life women do not think CSW’s efforts are enough. More than just gender discrimination, the women are speaking up to abolish abortion completely.
The anti-abortion group has also challenged the CSW saying that if it “is truly pro-woman and truly wants to protect women, they should call upon governments to protect girls (and boys) from the earliest stages of life.”
The group is comprised of women who have all had abortions within their lifetimes and feel qualified as experts on the subject, noting the physical, emotional and psychological pain they felt after the operation. They remarked that the government, media, and culture ignore this issue.
“It is alarming how these gruesome practices have spread to almost every corner of the globe,” said another group member, Cynthia Collins, TV Host and director of World Generation Outreach, in a statement.
According to their mission statement, the anti-abortion coalition hopes to educate and empower women on the advantages of both womanhood and motherhood. In that way, they can be more able to make an impact on the world.
The group, according to its website, is sponsored by the Endeavor Forum, Inc., an Australian-based NGO that is set up to counter feminism and defend the unborn and the traditional family.
