The Voice of the Latin American People is Pro-life and Pro-Family. Interviews from Paraguay, Panama, Guatemala, and Mexico.

By Marianna Orlandi, Ph.D. | January 5, 2017

The recent vote of the UN General Assembly, on the institution of an independent expert on sexual orientation and gender, did not reflect the laws, and the values, of many states of America Latina.

Only very few countries (Belize, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) actively protected their sovereignty. By voting in favor of the African Amendment, they stood up to defend the family from the attacks that this new mandate-holder promises to direct to countries that still have not bowed their heads to gender ideology.

Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn, the newly appointed independent expert, announced last month, he will advocate for preventing mental health professionals from treating homosexuality as a disorder, ensuring legal documents reflect individuals’ subjective gender identity, imposing social acceptance of homosexuality, including by challenging religions, and indoctrinating children and society through propaganda at all levels, during his three-year term.

Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago, instead, passively submitted to the decisions of the Human Rights Council last summer. Notwithstanding the fact that this mandate was established by a narrow vote (with only 22 countries voting in favor), and that only 47 countries are represented in the Geneva-based council, these governments preferred maintaining a low profile, and opted to abstain.

Sadly, the vote was lost. What is certain, however, is that the people of the Americas will remember how their countries acted on this occasion. This is particularly true for countries like Panama, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Citizens were betrayed by their UN delegations, who even voted in favor of the establishment of this expert, notwithstanding their national laws, and their peoples’ values.

I interviewed some pro-family leaders who actively engaged in this fight against a new “LGBT- Czar”. They reported on the greatest challenges that life and family now face in their countries, and they told me what to expect from the future.

Paraguay. Nereida Brumat, an Argentinian lawyer and President of the NGO “Con Mirada de Mujer,” praised the international strength of her country, which she calls “a great protector of life and family.” The recent vote, in her view, is a one-time mistake. “Paraguay is a state where families are still healthy environments,” she proudly accounted. “The family gathers around the same table at least once every day. Children respect their parents, and elderly people are still honored in Paraguay.” Dr. Brumat added, “Most of the population holds abortion to be a horrible crime.”

However, “the LGBT movement is gaining ground in Paraguay: not much by consent of the people, but because of the funding that supports it,” Brumat said. “Radical feminism entered our culture, imported from Brazil and Argentina… and LGBT activists are infiltrating inside our ministries of education and of health, to introduce and impose gender ideology.”

Panama. Juan Francisco de La Guardia, leader of the Panamanian Alliance for Life and Family, describes a somewhat darker scenario.

In his opinion, the most recent UN attempt to impose gender ideology on Panama simply adds to the anti-family and anti-life attitudes that Panama’s judiciary, executive power, and parliament already share. However, de la Guardia also believes that “popular concern for these attacks on the family has grown, both among the Catholic and the Evangelical people.” Also, he asserts, “I have no, or very little doubt for 2019 elections: the people understood the agenda. They will vote Pro-Family.”

Guatemala. For Guatemalan pro-life advocates, the biggest national worry lies in the possible enactment of comprehensive sexuality education programs (CSE) in schools. Violating Guatemalan laws, these programs promote abortion as a right. Beatriz Lopez, Executive Director of La Familia Importa, told me that the President of Guatemala, who is openly pro-life, “is quite passive on this.” Considering the recent UN vote, he is quite passive also on the gender front.

Trying to provide reasons for the deafening international silence of Guatemala on these issues, both at the UN and at the OAS, as well as for the awkward positions of her country on the most recent vote, Ms. Lopez explains, “Money — this is the reason why governments bow their heads to UN agendas.” This is true also for CSE “USAID is among the promoters of CSE programs. They have big budgets to implement their agenda, and to pressure Guatemala.”

Ms. Lopez fears the imminent approval of bills that do not respect the rights of the unborn. In her opinion, Guatemalans are still far from understanding that the international agenda will affect their own lives and violate their dearest values. “We need to educate more. We must tell the people that this is already happening in our country. Then, I am sure that they will fight back,” she said.

Mexico. Olivia Serrano, Executive Director of the Mexican NGO Construye, warned the Friday Fax about a new proposed constitution for Mexico City. “The draft is full of sexual and reproductive rights references, and there are explicit mentions of abortion, LGBT rights and rights for ‘different types of families.’”

She also mentioned, with great concern, the President’s recent proposal for a Sexual Diversity Initiative (SDI), which would involve full recognition of LGBT rights, as well as implementation of comprehensive sexuality education programs. In Serrano’s view, while rejection of SDI is possible, the chances for the Mexico City Constitution to pass are high. Mexico, moreover, is at the forefront of the fight for LGBT rights.

However, she did offer words of hope. “If you asked me about our next elections last May, I would have said that Mexicans do not care about life and family; but now,” she continued, “after the Sexual Diversity Initiative was launched, millions and millions of Mexicans took the streets.” “People perhaps woke up,” she affirmed, and, with a little faith, concluded: “our 2018 vote may be prolife and in favor of the family, if we do not give up.”

The fight is far from over.

 

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