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Group Funded by Development and Peace Supports Mexico City's Abortion on Demand Law

Executive Secretary admits group supports availability of abortion, does not recognize the right to life of the unborn

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

MEXICO CITY, March 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LifeSiteNews has learned that a group funded by the Catholic bishops' Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP) is a supporter and defender of Mexico City's abortion law, which legalizes and guarantees abortion on demand during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

"The law that permits the legal interruption of pregnancy in the Federal District [Mexico City] represents an advance for the human rights of women," declares the "All Rights for Everyone Network" (Red Todos los Derechos para Todos) in a statement released April 24, 2008 in the name of its 58 members.

"The law that permits the legal interruption of pregnancy up to twelve weeks of gestation, which establishes preventative measures in the area of sexual and reproductive health, approved by the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District on the 24th of April, 2007, is a moderate and integral law that has contributed significantly to the exercise of human rights in women, both in the City of Mexico and in some other states," declares the Network (see full text in Spanish at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009_docs/RedTodos/RedTodoslosDerechosparaTodosy...). **June 22 LSN  NOTE: See May 28 LSN report, Pro-Abortion Group Funded by Development and Peace Removes Evidence from Website ( http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09052901.html). Since this follow up report was published even the Google cache of the removed pages has been also removed.

The Network directly received $40,000 Canadian dollars last year according to the CCODP's own statistics supplied to LifeSiteNews.  It has been receiving funding since 2006 and will continue to receive money from the organization until 2011 according to the current five-year plan.

The Network also urges the Supreme Court not to rule against the new law, an issue that was still to be decided at the time the statement was issued last year.

"We exhort the organs of government, particularly the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, to consolidate the advancement that this law represents and avoid retrogressive actions in prejudice of the human rights of women," the organization states.

In an interview with LifeSiteNews, the Network's Executive Secretary Edgar Cortes admitted that the Network favors the availability of abortion with "appropriate" health conditions, but claimed that the Network does not focus on the legalization of abortion and does not promote abortion.

Cortes said that the Network supports there being "conditions so that they can do it, yes, exactly," referring to women obtaining abortions. "In terms that there exist information and that there exist health conditions so that they can do it -- if they decide to do it -- in a way [that] there are appropriate conditions, to guarantee their health situation."

When asked if "All Rights for Everyone" included the right to life of the unborn, Cortes answered, "No, because it isn't recognized within international legal documents," although he said his group does not take an official position one way or another on the issue.

While the Network receives money directly from the CCODP, it also has another CCODP partner as a member: the "Augustin Pro Juarez Center for Human Rights," which is a signatory of two other "human rights" reports that urge the legalization of abortion throughout Mexico, one of which it displays on its own site.

Another member of the Network is the organization "Catholics for the Right to Decide" (Catolicos por el Derecho a Decidir), an abortion lobbying group that claims to be Catholic (see membership list at http://www.redtdt.org.mx/gruposred.php).  ** LSN NOTE June 22, 2009: This item 's location has been changed on the All Right for Everyone Network website.

As LifeSiteNews reported last week, the "All Rights for Everyone Network" is one of several pro-abortion groups in Mexico funded by the CCODP.  The organization also displays an "agenda" on its website that announces as one of its goals that abortion be made available to everyone where it is legal in Mexico (see original article at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031210.html). 

CCODP Director of International Programs Gilio Brunelli has admitted to LifeSiteNews that the organization has no policy of not funding pro-abortion groups (see full interview at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/090320b.html).

Contact Information:

Contact information for every Canadian bishop
http://www.cccb.ca/site/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,1211/lang,eng/

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops   
2500 Don Reid Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1H 2J2
E-mail:
Phone: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048

Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace
Gilio Brunelli, Director of International Programs
Phone: 514-257-8711
Email:
http://www.devp.org/devpme/main-eng.html

Previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

Hundreds of Thousands in Canadian Lent Collection Money Funding Pro-Abortion Groups in Mexico
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031210.html

Toronto Archbishop: Development and Peace Won't Get Funds if They Support Pro-Abortion Groups
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031808.html

Mexican Pro-Life Leader Confirms: Groups Funded by Development and Peace are Pro-Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031710.html

Catholic and International Pro-Life Groups Ask Canadian Bishops to Halt Funding to Latin American Pro-Abortion Groups
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031610.html

Development and Peace Also Supporting Pro-Abortion Group in Bolivia: National Catholic Register
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031812.html

Full Text of LifeSiteNews Interview With Gilio Brunelli of Development and Peace
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/090320b.html here.

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