- April 13,2001 Volume 4, Number 17
- * International Planned Parenthood Federation, known as
an "apex" non-governmental
organization at the United Nations, is promoting what they
are calling a "Youth Manifesto."
The manifesto is the blue-print both for the ongoing efforts
of IPPF to promote abortion for
adolescents around the world and the policies they will specifically
promote at the upcoming
Special Session of the General Assembly on the World Summit for
Children.
* IPPF claims the manifesto "reflects what young people
around the world view as crucial to
meeting young people's sexual and reproductive health needs and
rights" though the manifesto
was written by just 16 young people representing only IPPF affiliates
from various
countries. The document was endorsed by a group of 43 young people
attending the IPPF Youth
Parliament in Prague two years ago.
* The manifesto says young people must "feel good"
and "have pleasure and confidence in
relationships and in all aspects of sexuality." The manifesto
says that "sexual and
reproductive health education" must be available to "young
people of all ages and sexual
lifestyles." It also says "young people must be encouraged
to know their own sexual rights,"
and "obstacles that make young people uncomfortable about
themselves, their bodies and their
relationships must be removed."
* Unless anyone misses the point, the manifesto presents a
case study of a pro-abortion
youth group in Rwanda that has confronted religious leaders standing
in the way of IPPF's
radical agenda. One Rwandan student said, "With religious
leaders it is necessary to
confront their religious principles with the rights of young
people..."
* The manifesto calls for young people to initiate campaigns
in their own countries as well
as lobbying their national governments to change domestic laws.
It calls for youth to use
the "document that passed at the International Conference
on Population and Development
(Cairo, 1994) to press for legislative changes in support of
abortion for the young.
* IPPF youth have long been a presence at UN meetings, usually
fully funded by various IPPF
branches. IPPF youth present themselves to UN delegates as representing
all the young people
in the world. They are frequently closely guided and handled
by IPPF staff members or
employees of the UN bureaucracy most frequently those from the
United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA). Such radical youth are also allowed to speak from
the main podium during UN
conferences again saying their positions represent all young
people.
* Over the last few years UN delegates have become increasingly
upset at the wild things
IPPF youth say, like calling for "sexual rights," a
term the UN has never defined,
principally because it is so confusing. Two years ago, in response
to the rising number of
radical youth at UN conferences, a coalition called the World
Youth Alliance (WYA) was
founded by a group of pro-life and pro-family youth in order
to show support for life and
family at UN conferences. WYA has quickly gained wide acceptance
at the UN and on more than
one occasion has blunted the radical proposals of IPPF youth.
Copyright - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute).
Permission granted for
unlimited use. Credit required.
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