Continuing the series of pro-life statements made during the
plenary session of the Commission on Population and Development at UN
headquarters in New York and on Friday April 11
th the statement set out below, was
delivered by Wendy Wright on behalf of the Family Research Council (FRC), The
American Association of Pro - Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) and
the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-Fam.)
Statement by Family Research Council, C-FAM and the
American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and
Gynecologists
Commission on Population and Development
47th Session
United Nations Headquarters, New York, 11 April 2014
Thank you chairperson for the
opportunity to deliver this statement on behalf of Family Research Council,
C-FAM and the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Chairperson,
Securing a better future for mothers needs
to be the number one goal for the advancement of women in the post-2015
development agenda. Maternal health should remain a stand-alone goal in the
post-2015 development agenda as it was in the MDG framework.
Now better than ever before, we know
what it takes to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for mothers. It takes
investment in education, skilled birth attendants, prenatal and antenatal care,
clean water and sanitation, adequate nutrition and vitamins, antibiotics and
other healing medicines, and emergency obstetric care.
There is no quick fix here. And, we
cannot be deceived by those who say that changing abortion laws will improve
maternal health.
Evidence shows that mortality from
abortion, estimated at less than 15% of all causes of maternal death, decreases
proportionately with all other causes of maternal death if the right
improvements to maternal health care are made, regardless of the legal status
of abortion. This means that complications from abortions, whether legal or
not, can only be dealt with through adequate investments in maternal health
care.
Making abortion legal doesn’t improve
maternal health in any way. It only makes it “safe” for the abortionist, it
does not make it any safer to the mother and her unborn child. Ireland and
Chile are world leaders in maternal health, with lower maternal mortality rates
than the United States and other wealthy countries, despite having highly
restrictive abortion laws.
Legalizing abortion actually endangers
the lives of women by exposing them to health risks they would not encounter if
they would carry their pregnancies to term.
Studies show that abortions often result
in immediate complications like massive bleeding, infection and death, even in
countries where elective abortion is legal. In the United States, abortions
carried out after 5 months of pregnancy are more likely to result in the death
of the mother than carrying a pregnancy to term.
Over 130 studies in the medical
literature show that elective abortion results in an increased risk of preterm
birth in subsequent pregnancies. And women who abort have a greater risk of
depression and suicide as compared to women who give birth.
Maternal health care strives to make
pregnancy safer for both mothers and their unborn children, Preventing births
by aborting the unborn child, or preventing the human embryo from implanting in
the mother’s womb does not improve the health of the mother or her unborn
child.
In conclusion, we know what it takes to
make pregnancy and childbirth safe. Maternal health care, must remain a
distinct and urgent priority in the post-2015 development agenda. This cannot
be confused with elective abortion, which destroys the life of innocent unborn
children and places the lives of mothers in jeopardy.
Thank you Chairperson.
