One of the strategies that the anti-life movement is using now to promote the legalization of abortion in Latin America is called "reproductive health". Pro-abortionists do not want people to know that their main objective is to legalize abortion, because, thanks be to God, in the majority of the Latin American countries abortion is illegal and there still is a culture of life. This is why they cover up this objective under the euphemism of "reproductive health". They even deny that "reproductive health" includes abortion and go so far as to affirm that they precisely want to prevent abortion by means of "reproductive health".

It is necessary then to show that the term "reproductive health" does include abortion where the anti-life movement is concerned. Evidently, such a demonstration has to be based on the same documents that international institutions are using to promote the legalization of abortion masked as "reproductive health".

Let us look at the definition of "reproductive health" that has been given by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). This definition appeared in the final document of an international conference that the UNFPA carried out in Cairo in 1994. The document is titled "Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development" (ICPD). The definition says:

"Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Reproductive health therefore implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. Implicit in this last condition are the right of men and women to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice, as well as other methods of their choice for regulation of fertility which are not against the law, and the right of access to appropriate health-care services that will enable women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth and provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy infant. In line with the above definition of reproductive health, reproductive health care is defined as the constellation of methods, techniques and services that contribute to reproductive health and well-being by preventing and solving reproductive health problems. It also includes sexual health, the purpose of which is the enhancement of life and personal relations, and not merely counselling and care related to reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases."1

Later on, in this same document, it is said that "Reproductive health care… should… include…abortion as specified in paragraph 8.25."2 This controversial paragraph 8.25 expresses the partial victory that the pro-life movement obtained at Cairo and, at the same time, the partial victory that the "culture" of death, very astutely, also obtained at said conference. The paragraph begins by stating: "In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning."3 So far went the victory for the pro-life position at Cairo, which was championed by the Holy See and other States. But then, in the very next sentence it is stated that: "Governments and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are urged to strengthen their commitment to women's health, to deal with the health impact of unsafe abortion as a major public health concern…"3 Then, a few lines later, it is also stated that: "In circumstances where abortion is not against the law, it should be safe." These last two affirmations are nothing else than the pro-abortion argument, used over and over again, of "safe and legal abortion", an argument we have refuted many times. The argument consists of claiming that abortion should be legalized so that it becomes "safe" for women, given the "fact" that so many women are dying from clandestine abortions4. That was the pro-abortion victory at Cairo. It opened the door to a wider interpretation of "reproductive health" so as to include abortion.

But, how can we be sure that the ICPD is in fact including (or opening the way to include) abortion and the "safe and legal abortion" argument in its definition of "reproductive health"? The answer to this question can be found in the way other UN agencies are interpreting and implementing the ICPD. One of those agencies is the World Health Organization (WHO). Indeed, it is logical that WHO should be the one carrying out the pro-abortion "reproductive health" strategy, for the simple reason that WHO is in charge of "health" and this strategy is about masking abortion as "health".

WHO has published a document titled "Global and Regional Estimates of Incidence of a Mortality Due to Unsafe Abortion".5 Significantly, this document has been published in the section of WHO's website titled "Reproductive health". This shows that for WHO unsafe abortion is a problem that affects "reproductive health". This inference is in a perfect ideological line with ICPD. Recall that the ICPD's definition of "reproductive health" states: "In line with the above definition of reproductive health, reproductive health care is defined as the constellation of methods, techniques and services that contribute to reproductive health and well-being by preventing and solving reproductive health problems" (enphasis added).

But this is not all. In that same document, WHO also considers unsafe abortion as a major public health concern, which is litterally taken from the ICPD's troublesome paragraph 8.25 quoted above. The WHO document says: "Where contraception is unavailable or inaccessible there will inevitably be large numbers of unwanted pregnancies. Furthermore, even if services are available and accessible, a proportion of unwanted pregnancies arise following contraceptive failure. Women may resort to unsafe abortion to terminate these pregnancies, putting their health and lives at risk. It is therefore important that governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations deal openly with unsafe abortion as a major public health concern."6

What is the solution that WHO proposes to the problem of unsafe abortions? Before letting WHO answer this question, let us look at how WHO itself defines "unsafe abortion". In the same WHO document we have been quoting from, it states: "Unsafe abortions are characterized by the lack or inadequacy of skills of the provider, hazardous techniques and unsanitary facilities. Although the legality or illegality of the services may not be the defining factor of their safety…unsafe abortion has been defined as an 'abortion not provided through approved facilities and/or persons'. What constitutes 'approved facilities and/or persons' will vary according to the legal and medical standards of each country."7 In other words, for WHO, unsafe abortion is equivalent to an illegal abortion. It is very significant that the ICPD does not include this legal aspect in its definition of "unsafe abortion".8 Consequently, WHO's "wider" definition can be considered as an homogeneous "advancenment" of the UN abortion talk after Cairo, that is to say, an "advacenment" in perfect ideological line with that conference.

Now we are ready to answer the question about WHO's "solution" to the problem of unsafe abortion. For WHO, that "solution" is that "Governments have to assess the health impact of unsafe abortion, reduce the need for abortion through expanded and improved family planning services, and frame abortion laws and policies on the basis of a commitment to women's health and well-being rather than on criminal codes and punitive measures."6 What exacly is WHO saying here with these so carefully chosen words? It is simply saying that the problem of unsafe abortions is solved, at least in part, by legalizing abortion.

Notice that WHO's argument has "women's health" as its basic framework. Therefore, there is a definite link, according to WHO and the UN, between "reproductive health" and abortion. It does not matter how many times WHO, UNFPA and the rest of the UN agencies repeat that "in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning". The argument has been recast into the "health" context. In fact, it was there from the very beginning, in the ICPD itself, to be more specific: in paragraph 8.25, quoted above. All that has haspenned since then is a "progressive" interpretation of "reproductive health" so as to include abortion in it via the old "safe and legal" abortion argument.

Latin American governments have to be very attentive to the semantic manipulations of the UN and the rest of the "culture" of death, lest they let these organizations score against them a pro-abortion "goal", without they even being aware of it.

Adolfo is Director of Educational Programs at Vida Humana Internacional, the Hispanic Division of Human Life International : www.vidahumana.org, Ph: 305-260-0525. Fax: 305-260-0595.