WASHINGTON (CNS): Thirty-three member states of the United Nations (UN) signed on to the Geneva Consensus Declaration, which reaffirms the inherent “dignity and worth of the human person” and states that “every human being has the inherent right to life.”
The document calls on countries to “promote the rights of women and strengthen the family” as the foundational unit of society. It also emphasises there is “no international right to abortion” and states that “in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning.”
Michael Parker, an obstetrician-gynecologist and head of the Catholic Medical Association, issued a statement applauding the 33 countries for signing the declaration and prayed “it will pave the way for humane and dignified health care for women and children going forward.”
He said, “ We look forward to the positive impacts this will make on families around the globe.”
The United States was the lead sponsor of the document, with Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia and Uganda as co-sponsors.
Among other points, the declaration: reaffirms that “all are equal before the law” and “human rights of women are an inalienable, integral, and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms”; emphasises “the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights,” as well as economic, social and cultural rights”; states that “any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national legislative process”; it also reaffirms a child “needs special safeguards and care … before as well as after birth” and says “special measures of protection and assistance should be taken on behalf of all children,” based on the principle of “the best interest of the child.”
In a section on health care, the declaration recognises that “universal health coverage is fundamental for achieving the (UN’s) Sustainable Development Goals related not only to health and well-being.”
But it also reaffirms “the primary role and responsibility of governments at all levels to determine their own path toward achieving universal health coverage, in accordance with national contexts and priorities” that preserve “human dignity and all the rights and freedoms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
Geneva Consensus Declaration “the next step” in protecting women, defending the unborn and supporting the family.
