UN Officials Celebrate World Population Day With Call For Reproductive Rights

NEW YORK, July 15, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – United Nations leaders greeted this year’s World Population Day, which carried the theme, “One billion adolescents: the right to health, information and services,” with a typical call for increased reproductive rights for youth. Reproductive rights is a common code word used to refer to universal access to abortion and contraception.  Statements by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, Executive Director of UNFPA, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, and the President of the UN General Assembly, Jan Kavan, ignored the basic health needs of youth and indicated that by the ‘right to health’ they were referring primarily to the right to ‘sexual and reproductive health.’ Jan Kavan’s statement explained that “this years World Population Day is dedicated to the world’s 1 billion adolescents and their right to reproductive health and the information and services that enable them to realize that right.”  Kofi Annan declared that, “Reproductive health services and factual information about reproductive health will also help young people to avoid risky behaviours, unwanted pregnancy and poor health in general.” His statement ignored the mass of evidence pointing to the dangers of contraception and abortion and made unsubstantiated claims. A 2002 study, for example, released in the Journal of Health and Economics, found that increased access to contraception (i.e. reproductive health services) actually increases pregnancies and abortions. Instead of the many dangers of early sexual activity he pointed to supposed dangers of early pregnancy. He hoped delayed pregnancies could reduce population growth.  The leaders’ statements also discussed the problem of AIDS.  Thoraya Obaid exclaimed that, “Today, half of all new HIV infections occur among young people.  Each day six thousand young men and women are newly infected.” Kofi Annan explained his hollow solution to the problem saying, “Young people should know how the HIV virus is transmitted, and how to protect themselves from the infection.” Yet his UN’s longstanding policy of aggressive support of condom distribution as an essential element in the fight against AIDS has placed numerous young lives in mortal danger. A recent report for the United Nations AIDS agency admitted that condoms fail to protect against HIV a disturbing estimated 10% of the time.  Kofi Annan was, however, correct to exclaim that, “The decisions of these young people make will shape our world and the prospects of future generations.”  See U.N. Press Releases https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/gasm325.doc.htm https://www.unfpa.org/wpd/sg_eng.htm https://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=336&NewsType=3&Language=1   See U.N. News:  https://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=7698&Cr=population&Cr1=day