The United States today signed an anti-abortion declaration with a group of about 30 largely liberal or dictatorial governments, following the failure of an attempt to expand the Coalition coalition.
The “Geneva Consensus Declaration” calls on states to promote women’s rights and health – but without resorting to abortion – and is part of a campaign by the Trump administration led by Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to further socialize the U.S. The traditional tight direction to revive foreign policy, even at the expense of removing traditional Western allies.
The “main supporters” of the declaration are Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia and Uganda, and 27 other partners are Belarus (where security forces are currently trying to suppress women-led protests), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates. , Sudan, South Sudan, Libya.
Most of the signatures are in the 20 worst countries for women, according to the Woman, Peace and Security Index established by Georgetown University.
U.S. Except (ranked 19th) none of the top twenty countries on the list have signed the declaration.
The only other European signatory (excluding Belarus and Hungary) is Poland, where the Constitutional Court on Thursday approved an almost complete ban on abortion.
The list of Geneva Consensus supporters is slightly higher than last year, despite the Trump administration’s campaign to find new recruits.
“In 2019, approximately 25 countries signed one or more joint statements on these issues of mutual concern,” the U.S. said. The government’s committee said in support of the earlier this year. “We want many more countries to join this Declaration in 2020 so that our mutual priorities in the multilateral space can succeed.”
Gillian Kane, a senior policy adviser at IPAS, an international organization advocating safe access to abortion, said: “The United States has failed to build consensus and alliance. There are 193 UN member countries and they have got 31. This is a terrible performance. None of our potential partners are there, and none of the people on the list will be able to take special care of the women. That is the failure of diplomacy. ”
A virtual signing ceremony was hosted by Pampio and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar. They hailed it as a historic moment in the movement to stop supporting abortion as part of reproductive health care, and credited Donald Trump.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States has protected the dignity of human life everywhere and at all times,” Pompeo said. “He has done it like no other president in history. We have set up an unprecedented defense abroad. ”
In the declaration, the signatures: “Confirm that there is no international right to perform abortions, or that there is no international obligation from the states to finance or facilitate abortions”.
The declaration uses “pro-family” language, which supports “society as a foundation and the role of the family as a source of health, support and care” – which has in the past been associated with opposition to gay marriage and LGBT rights.
The document, signed Thursday, also emphasizes the priority of national sovereignty in determining policy and rights, the theme of another project highly promoted by Pompeo, the State Department, the Commission on Unjust Rights, which argues that the U.S. has a say in human rights. Should originate in its own constitutional history.
Like the Unbearable Rights Commission the career officers of the political department were largely excluded from the development of the Geneva Consensus Declaration, which has been carried out by political appointees.
