(Newswire.net — May 10, 2016) New York, New York — Austin Ruse, President of the non-profit Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM), recently cited a statement made by a UN official during the organization’s Commission on the Status of Women meetings. In the statement, the unnamed official, who is connected with the Committee on Torture, said that whenever there are laws against abortion, torture has occurred under international law. This statement serves as a chilling effect for pro-life supporters, according to C-FAM. “The UN officials feel that laws against abortion serve to create physical and emotional suffering against women,” says Ruse. “The organization equates those laws with torture under international treaties.”
The UN’s Secretary General has pushed the organization and its member countries toward inclusion of LGBT, abortion, and reproductive freedom rights under the guise of the world “humanitarian crisis”. This initiative is part of the organization’s 15-year development plan known as the Sustainable Development Goals, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015. Many pro-life supporters feel that the UN and its official are overstepping their bounds; the reports and recommendations issued from special committees are designed to help member governments implement treaties. “Controversial reports and comments like these tend to represent at attempt to rewrite the laws and impose upon the member states,” adds Ruse.
The recent statement equating pro-life stances with torture is not the United Nations’ first time to hold a similar position. In 2014, an NGO made the case to the UN’s Committed on Torture that the Catholic Church’s pro-life position and speech constituted a form of torture against women and girls around the world. The General Assembly mostly agreed with the group’s assessment, to the dismay of pro-life supporters. “Restricting free speech and freedom of religion are activities the UN has engaged in over the past several years,” says Ruse. “We object strongly to the favoritism shown by the UN toward some stances at the expense of others.”
About Austin Ruse
An accomplished journalist, foreign affairs expert, and leader, Austin Ruse is President of the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM). Mr. Ruse and his team have been participants in every major United Nations social policy negotiation since 1997, including those that led to the creation of the International Criminal Court. He has briefed members of the U.S. House and Senate, the White House, and the National Security Council on UN matters, as well as briefing government officials, journalists, and Church leaders. Mr. Ruse’s writing work has appeared in dozens of national and international journals and newspapers.
Austin Ruse
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