In a statement released on June 2nd, the United States Mission to the United Nations rejected a UN agreement on humanitarian assistance for emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, because of the inclusion of abortion in the resolution.
Despite the U.S. having expressed that it could not agree to the terms “sexual and reproductive health care services” and “sexual and reproductive health” in the proposed resolution from the Humanitarian Affairs Segment, the terms were not removed. As a result, the U.S. blocked the agreement.
“The United States rejects any interpretation of international human rights to require any State Party to provide access to abortion,” the U.S. statement reads. “In short, there is no international right to abortion, nor is there any duty on the part of States to finance or facilitate abortion.”
That statement went on to say that the U.S. “strongly condemns violence against or exploitation of women and girls at all times, including during humanitarian crises” and that the nation would continue to defend the dignity of all humans while also supporting “high-quality health care for women and girls across the lifespan.”
READ: UN group: ‘Sexual and reproductive health services’ includes ‘safe, legal abortion’
“We emphasize that health care should focus on health promotion and prevention, consistent with national legislation and policies,” the statement says. “At the UN and elsewhere, the United States will continue its work to build consensus on clear terminology that would better promote women’s health without also promoting abortion.”
According to the United States Mission to the United Nations, the U.S. responds to more than 65 disasters across the globe each year and as a nation, is the largest provider of food assistance in the world.
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