NEW YORK, June 6 (LifeSiteNews.com) – LifeSite News’s Special report today on the ongoing developments at the Beijing +5 conference comes straight from the floor of the United Nations in New York. The battle lines in the fight between those advocating abortion and homosexuality and those opposed are clearly drawn with the rich, Western countries led by Canada , the US and the EU pushing for a “progressive” agenda while developing countries have joined the Vatican fighting for family values. Pro-family groups have been very effective at the meeting, but unlike most previous meetings, the key negotiations have been going on behind closed doors where official delegates often push radical agendas. Hedy Fry, who leads the Canadian delegation, for example, stated she would “go to the wall” to promote lesbianism, a sentiment contrary to the will of a majority of Canadians.
The UN Secretariat and social leftist groups have expressed their chagrin at the influence that the pro-life/pro-family NGOs are exerting and the actions of the developing nations in union with the Vatican. “The few [countries] that don’t want progress are very effective, and that’s a problem … because the gains made are still fragile,” said Mary Robinson, the head of the UN Human Rights Commission, during a symposium in New York sponsored by Rutgers University. Similarly, Amnesty International Secretary-General Pierre Sane complained that Algeria, Iran, Libya, Pakistan and the Vatican were playing “a very destructive role” in negotiations for a final document.
See a National Post report detailing the behind-closed-doors negotiations at the Beijing +5.
See Mary Robinson’s comments.
See today’s LifeSite Special Report.