UNITED NATIONS, February 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On December 6, on the 10th anniversary of 1994’s International Year of the family, pro-family forces gained what they consider to be a huge victory as the United Nations ratified the Doha declaration on the family.
The Doha International Conference for the Family convened in Doha, Qatar, on November 29-30, 2004 to explore and analyze the implications of Article 16(3) of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights which proclaims, “the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state.”
The Doha Declaration further affirmed pro-family sentiments, including: “Every individual has the right to life…;”
“A family composed of a husband, wife and children is the natural, basic element of a society and should be protected by society and by the State;”“Evaluate and reassess government population policies, particularly in countries with below replacement birthrates;” and, “Parents should choose what kind of education they give their children,” among others.
Also, the Doha called on the UN to “Evaluate and reassess government population policies, particularly in countries with below replacement birthrates.”
Real Women of Canada’s Jan/Feb 2005 Reality newsletter pointed out that, despite the unanimous support of 149 countries present to ratify the Doha Declaration December 6, there were 14 (absent) dissenters, including Canada and the European Union.
The EU dissented to the Declaration, also preventing its own members Italy and Poland, who backed the Declaration, from supporting it. The EU thus violated its own mandate not to interfere with the policies of its member nations, raising the question of whether individual states enjoy true autonomy, as claimed, within the EU.
See also:
Baldock promotes Doha Declaration on the Family
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