Friday October 15, 2010
Interamerican Court Ignores Deaths of Unborn Children in Discrimination Ruling
October 14, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a recently-announced decision, the Interamerican Court of Human Rights has refused to recognize the deaths of unborn children of indigenous people in Paraguay who were victimized by discriminatory government policies.
In the case of the Xákmok Kásek Indigenous Community vs. Paraguay, the Court found that Paraguay was responsible for the deaths of various indigenous listed by the plaintiffs, but omitted any decision on two unborn children who were listed in the complaint. The Court instead responded that “the Court notes that the representatives and the Commission have not presented arguments in relation to the presumed violation of the right to life of the ‘unborn,’ because of which, in the face of a lack of foundation, the Tribunal lacks elements of judgment to determine the responsibility of the government regarding said cases.”
“Since when does the Court require that the parties explain what the American Convention on Human Rights says regarding human rights?” asked Salvador Salazar of the pro-life organization Muevete Chile. “In effect, the treaty doesn’t leave room for doubts,” he added, citing the treaty’s well-known provision stating that “Every person has the right to respect for his life. This right is protected by the law, and in general, from the moment of his conception.”
“Lamentably, the Indigenous Community case enables us to see that the current judges on the Interamerican Court of Human Rights do not have sufficient courage and integrity to protect the life of the unborn child in future cases that may be presented to them,” he added.