WHO Leaves No Doubt—”Sexual and Reproductive Health” Means Abortion

By Stefano Gennarini, J.D. | April 7, 2017

“Access to safe abortion” was the first item on a list of “sexual and reproductive health services” rattled off by Ian Askew, Director of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization (WHO), during a WHO side event at UN headquarters on the sidelines of the Commission on Population and Development.

No one should doubt the choice of starting off with abortion was deliberate.

Firstly, maternal health was the last item on Askew’s the list. Other items were: prevention and management of sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, comprehensive sexuality education, contraceptives, antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care, in that order. That is, maternal health is the final option in case all else fails, little more than a backup plan.

Secondly, WHO works on “sexual and reproductive health” with abortion groups almost exclusively. At the event, Askew said he tried to “bring different perspectives.” But only groups that promote abortion were represented in the panel discussion, including abortion giant International Planned Parenthood Federation, it’s research arm the Guttmacher Institute, and longtime abortion proponent, the Population Council.

The only government representatives on the panel where from Canada and the Netherlands, who recently rallied government and non-government benefactors to pledge over $360 million to bail out the abortion industry following the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy by U.S. President Donald Trump.

So much for “different perspectives.”

This insularity was not lost on the Dutch government representative who said “the SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights) community is a community very much speaking to itself.” He then went on to describe the “She Decides” initiative through which the Dutch were able to secure commitments of $200 million to bailout the abortion industry following the adoption of the Mexico City Policy.

It was never possible for anyone to seriously say that the term “reproductive health” is safe, clean, or neutral. From its inception it was designed to promote abortion as a component of other traditional health programming. But any doubts that may have existed should be put aside. The term must be seen for what it is: a euphemism for abortion, and little more.

The overall thrust of the remarks from the panelists on Wednesday during the event titled “From Evidence to Impact: changing landscape on sexual and reproductive health and rights” were invariably the usual pot shots against U.S. President Donald Trump and the Mexico City Policy, and the same stale prescriptions and cliches about the need of accurate data for effective policies you expect from these events.

Never mind that the same groups present at the panel have been at the forefront of covering up evidence that the powerful and effective long term hormonal contraceptive Depo Provera puts women at exponentially increased risk of HIV, breast cancer, and osteoporosis, as well as debilitating side effects like bleeding, dizziness, and weight gain, among others. The WHO had to make a 180 degree turn last year and add warnings on the use of Depo Provera after years of saying that it is perfectly safe for African women.

Kwame Fosu, a lawyer and activist who has successfully lobbied the FDA to retain the black box warning on this drug was present at the event.

As the panelists looked with worry and astonishment (and perhaps guilt), Fosu pointed out that women in Europe and America do not use this powerful drug because they are informed of the side effects, but women in Africa are not adequately informed of the side effects and are not provided alternatives by donors who invested billions in making Dep Provera the optimal contraceptive for African Women. None of the panelists, who either personally or through their institution promoted Depo Provera made any attempt to address his comments and questions.

And, never mind how those same groups have been defrauding countries for decades by claiming that over 200 million women lack access to contraception on the basis of a deceptive data construct known as “unmet need.” In reality, less than 2% of married women in Africa say they lack access to contraceptives. But the WHO and its entourage of abortion groups intent on getting taxpayer funds for themselves overlook this and disingenuously interpret it away. For more on this see the work of my colleague Rebecca Oas.

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