News

JOHANNESBURG, August 27, 2002 (LSN.ca) – As delegates arrived in Johannesburg last week for the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), pro-abortion activists seemed ready to derail the proceedings insisting on the inclusion of abortion language.

The London Telegraph reports that “The draft communique contains no reference to birth control rights after threats by America to veto it.”  However, the paper adds that the compromise may be undermined by pro-abortion radicals. “Canada may re-open the row by challenging the wording of the draft,” reports the paper.  A United Nations report on the proceedings indicates that Canada did attempt to re-insert the controversial language with support from the European Union and over the objection of the United States and the Holy See.  The Sunday Times reports that pro-abortion British parliamentarian Clare Short is insisting that the final WSSD document “guarante[e] all women the ‘human rights’ of access to abortion and contraception.”  However, U.K. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott warned that forcing the abortion issue back on the agenda could damage the chances of reaching a final agreement. (Sunday Times, August 25, 2002)  See the Sunday Telegraph coverage at:  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/08/25/wsumm25.xml