U.S. delays women’s rights document

UNITED NATIONS – The United States hinted strongly Wednesday that it will drop controversial amendments regarding abortion from the final declaration of a high-level U.N. meeting to advance the fight for women’s equality.

The U.S. government has come under intense pressure to retract its demand that the declaration make clear that it does not create a “right to abortion.” U.S. officials have argued that a landmark platform adopted at an earlier U.N. women’s conference in Beijing gives that impression.

But U.S. Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey, head of the U.S. delegation, signaled Wednesday that Washington might be giving up what on its lonely fight to amend the declaration. Only the Holy See, Qatar and perhaps one or two other countries supported Washington.

In her speech to the meeting’s plenary session, Sauerbrey said the United States had concerns about “efforts to mischaracterize” the 1995 Beijing platform and create new international rights, including the right to abortion.

The United States recognizes the principle “that abortion policies are a matter of national sovereignty, and we are pleased that so many other countries have indicated their agreement with this position,” she said.

Hinting that because of this support there was no need for amendments, Sauerbrey then said, “We anticipate that we can now focus clearly on addressing the many urgent needs of women around the world.”

Saurebrey’s speech in the General Assembly hall was interrupted by sporadic applause several times but her final statement that it was now time to address other issues holding back the achievement of equality for women was greeted with strong applause by delegates from over 130 countries.

Earlier Wednesday, Taina Bien-Aime, executive director of the international human rights organization Equality Now, reflected the view of many governments and nongovernmental organizations in her criticism of the U.S. focus on abortion.

“We believe it unconscionable that the United States would hijack this very important meeting to talk about a very narrow issue,” the fundamental right to abortion, which doesn’t appear anywhere in the Beijing platform, she said.

Marieluise Beck, the German government’s commissioner for migration and refugees who also deals with women’s issues, said after listening to Sauerbrey’s speech that she was hopeful but not certain that the United States will drop the amendments.

The Beijing platform makes clear that abortion has to be handled according to national laws – as Sauerbrey said – “so actually everything should be OK,” she said.

Asked if the United States would drop the amendment, Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said “discussions continue.”

“We’ve been hearing from other governments that they agree with us on our concerns about the original intent of Beijing in the outcome document and their domestic laws reflect that,” Grenell said.

At the 1994 U.N. population conference in Cairo, delegates approved a platform recognizing that abortion is a fact that governments must deal with as a public health issue. At Beijing the following year, they went further, approving a platform that asks governments to review laws that punish women for having abortions. But attempts for stronger language on access to abortions failed at Beijing.

The Vatican and a handful of Islamic and Catholic countries opposed any reference to abortion at those conferences, while the West and hundreds of women’s rights activists supported them — including the U.S. government under former President Clinton.