Civil Society meetings at the OAS: the uneven fight for life and for family.
The General Assembly (GA) of the Organization of the American States (OAS) regularly includes a whole day program dedicated to the Civil Society representatives.
During this day, which precedes the beginning of the official meetings of the member states, NGOs’ representatives are invited to participate in a number of “working groups”, dealing with different topics. Each group writes a final report, which is then presented to the Secretary General and brought forth to the attention of the GA.
This year’s working groups were: family, human rights, women’s rights, democracy and sustainable development, LGBTI and persons of African descent. According to the OAS’ “official rules,” “In each Working Group, participants will have the opportunity to dialogue, exchange experiences and formulate their recommendations from their particular Group’s perspective, on the theme of the General Assembly”.
Reality, however, it is to the contrary.
First of all, approximately 80% of the pro-life and pro-family NGOs were assigned, by the OAS, to the group on family.
Secondly, as “moderator” of the group on women’s rights, the OAS chose Catalina Martinez, who is the regional director of the Center for Reproductive Rights for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The “moderators” of both the group on human rights and of the one on democracy even prevented some opinions to be expressed: those that were in favor of life and that questioned the abortionist agenda. The responsible for the human rights’ group, silenced pro-life representatives, asserting that ‘laws that prohibit abortion constitute a form of torture.’ She claimed, erroneously, that this is “what the UN says”.
Finally, the group on LGBT rights was made up exclusively by members of the homosexual and trans community. One may wonder what sort of “diversity of postures” would be “faithfully reflected” in their final document, as the methodology of the OAS requires.
Notwithstanding all these difficulties, Latin American pro-lifers and pro-family leaders did not surrender. Animated only by their strong commitment, these brave men and women repeatedly asserted that abortion is not an international fundamental right.
They re-affirmed the importance of the family and reminded the member states of the OAS that the only family protected by international law is the one based on the free and stable union of a man and a woman.
No matter how difficult: the people of the Americas are not willing to bow their heads. The OAS will have a hard time in trying to impose its controversial social agenda.
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