(Deliberately) Out of touch with women's health

From Feb. 27-March 10, women took centerstage at the United Nations headquarters in New York. It was the 50th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) , attended by representatives from around the world including Wendy Wright -- president of Concerned Women for America (CWA) -- and Dr. Janice Crouse -- president of the Beverly LaHaye Institute (CWA's think tank).

Here are excerpts from "Reproductive Rights Gone Wrong," Dr. Crouse's report on what transpired:

Pro-life advocates have avoided using the term “reproductive services” because in U.N.-speak the phrase includes abortion; instead, we have used the term “reproductive health” care. Now, we find that “reproductive health” has been essentially re-defined by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The rabbit trail goes like this: At the U.N.’s Cairo convention in 1994, the term “reproductive health” included “regulation of fertility.”

So far, so good.

Then, along comes the WHO to define “fertility regulation” to include “interrupting unwanted pregnancies” (abortion). Oops, now there are problems; the left has, once again, usurped language for its purposes so that documents already agreed upon have new and different meanings, and an unwary step is taken into a carefully laid trap during the discussion of current documents.

Every single paragraph in the section on health is about reproductive health. Further and amazingly, reproductive health is separated from maternal and child health. In fact, there is a distinct hostility toward public health that focuses on maternal and child health. One would think that the only health problems women face concern reproduction.

Nothing –– NOTHING –– is mentioned about any of the top diseases that kill women. Heart disease and stroke are the #1 and #3 killers of women, and they kill more than the next seven causes of death combined—including all forms of cancer. Neither is mentioned.

Nothing –– NOTHING –– is mentioned about diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, which kill millions of poor people every year. Preventable diseases like measles and diarrhea stem from the lack of essential health services, money for medical treatment and adequate sanitation. One would think these basic health necessities would be the top priorities in advancing women’s health, well-being and development.

Yet, the health section of the document from the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women mentions none of the diseases that cause so many tragic deaths. Instead, the document mentions only reproductive health (meaning abortion).

Read the rest at the Beverly LaHaye Institute