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U.S. Officially Steps Away from Pro-Abortion, Anti-Family U.N. Human Rights Council

By John Jalsevac

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The U.S. has officially distanced itself from the U.N.'s Human Rights Council (HRC) over its "pathetic" record of protecting human rights.

Sean McCormack, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, told reporters in Washington that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice "has taken the decision that we will engage the Human Rights Council really only when we believe that there are matters of deep national interest before the council, and we feel compelled."

"Our skepticism regarding the function of the council on human rights in terms of fulfilling its mandate and its mission is well-known. It has a rather pathetic record in that regard," McCormack said.

McCormack specifically attacked the council for failing to address serious human rights issues, and instead focusing almost solely on the issue of Israel.

"Instead of focusing on some of the real and deep human rights issues around the world, it has really turned into a forum that seems to be almost solely focused on bashing Israel," McCormack said Friday.

"And, as a result, we're going to choose more selectively how and when we engage the council," he said.

The 47-member council, which has a long history of anti-life and anti-family activism, was formed in 2006 after the UN's previous human rights body, the Geneva-based Human Rights Commission, was disbanded amidst criticism that it had come under the control of a bloc of countries well known for serious human rights abuses.

The United States opposed the establishment of the Council from the beginning. At the time of its inception ambassador to the UN, David Bolton, said the US wanted stronger assurances that countries known for human rights violations would be barred. The UN General Assembly, however, then went on to elect China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Cuba and various other well-known human rights violators to sit on the new Human Rights Council.

Besides its coming under the control of countries with less-than-admirable records in terms of human rights, the Council has also frequently focused significant amounts of its energies on promoting an anti-life and anti-family agenda globally.

Only recently the HRC subjected the Catholic country of Poland to a grilling about its human rights record. At a meeting on April 14th, the Polish delegation was questioned by various members of the Council about its stance on abortion and homosexuality. 

Norway said that Poland should "facilitate access to abortion for women who qualify for this under Polish law."  Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Sweden all pushed for sexual orientation to be one of the grounds for non-discrimination in the new equality law being debated in the Polish parliament. Slovenia recommended that Poland stop legislation "punishing anyone who promotes homosexuality…in education."  Canada said that "those who campaign for equality and against discrimination based on perceived sexual orientation, (should be) allowed to carry out their work in a secure environment."

Louise Arbour, the former High Commissioner for Human Rights, who just announced her resignation from the position to the Council last week, was a vociferous supporter of so-called "reproductive rights" and homosexuality and used the HRC to push the anti-life agenda. 

In 2006, Arbour gave the opening address at the international homosexual rights conference and encouraged conference-goers "to make greater use of the international human rights institutions, ultimately for the benefit of the greater number of rights-holders," urging non-governmental organizations "to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their agenda and to partner with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered [LGBT] NGOs to advocate better protection of human rights for everyone."

In 2007 a radical homosexual umbrella group released a homosexual rights document at the Council, authored by several UN human rights officials, that claimed even the youngest children are capable of discerning their sexual identity. It added that they should be given governmentally protected free reign to express that identity.

The document went on to demand revision of international and national laws to reflect these and other ideas on the far frontier of social policy.

In 2006 a coalition of NGOs presented a report to the Council entitled, "Building the UN Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures: Notes for Sexual Rights and Reproductive Rights Advocates." The report, funded by the Ford Foundation, laid out a strategy to "work together to develop a more balanced analysis of sexuality and sexual rights that will include but also move beyond issues of identity, violence and discrimination to allow for the consideration of positive claims such as the right to broader sexual freedom and a right to sexual expression and pleasure."

The publication also commended CHR and HRC in "calling for the decriminalization of abortion, thus setting the stage for arguments that a right to abortion exists in international law."

There are countless other examples besides of the Council's anti-life and anti-family activities.

The U.S. holds observer status at the council, having never put itself forward for election as a full-fledged member since its inception. As an observer the superpower cannot vote in the council, but can only participate in debate. Even in that limited role, however, the U.S. has already demonstrated the full extent to which it intends to remove itself from the activities from the council, having refrained from participating on a debate on Myamar on Friday.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Vatican tells new UN Human Rights Council to Uphold Right to Life
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06062109.html

Poland Pressured on Abortion and Sexual Orientation by UN Human Rights Committee
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08042501.html

Controversial Pro-Abortion/Pro-Homosexual Human Rights Chief To Step Down from UN Post
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08060605.html

Controversial Sexual "Rights" Being Pushed at UN Human Rights Council
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06100608.html

UN Officials Draft Document Re-Interpreting 29 International Law Rights to all Include Homosexual Rights
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07032906.html

UN Officials Draft Document Re-Interpreting 29 International Law Rights to all Include Homosexual Rights
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07032906.html

UN Human Rights Commission: "Reproductive Rights" to Eliminate Poverty?
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/apr/04040104.html

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