Human Rights Activists Reject UN Call for Legalized Abortion in Poland

The government of Poland is actively assessing its domestic laws on abortion and other social issues. An influential UN committee has intervened in the process by issuing a report calling on Poland to liberalize its laws. The report issued by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Committee expresses "deep concern about restrictive abortion laws in Poland" and tells Poland that it "should liberalize its legislation and practice on abortion."

The report was released just as the Polish government prepares to consider draft legislation that would loosen current restrictions on abortion. In an unusually explicit attempt to influence national lawmaking, the report directs Poland that "[t]hese recommendations should be taken into account when the draft Law on Parental Awareness is discussed in Parliament."

The report, which is a periodic review of Poland's compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), does not mention that it is purely recommendatory and has no legal force according to that treaty. The ICCPR is one of the two major human rights treaties adopted in 1966 to implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. What is most troubling to human rights activists is that the treaty makes no mention of abortion yet is increasingly used by the UN committee to pressure changes in abortion laws. Not only does the treaty make no mention of abortion it says explicitly that "Every human being has the inherent right to life."

Any native Poles reading this thread may find the following bit of the American experience in abortion interesting.

Abortion is not about saving women’s lives!

Total Abortions since 1973

44,670,812

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Why the drop after 1960? (in deaths of women from illegal abortions)

The reasons were new and better antibiotics, better surgery and the establishment of intensive care units in hospitals. This was in the face of a rising population. Between 1967 and 1970 sixteen states legalized abortion. In most it was limited, only for rape, incest and severe fetal handicap (life of mother was legal in all states). There were two big exceptions — California in 1967, and New York in 1970 allowed abortion on demand. Now look at the chart carefully.

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Abortion Statistics - Decision to Have an Abortion (U.S.)

· 25.5% of women deciding to have an abortion want to postpone childbearing

· 21.3% of women cannot afford a baby

· 14.1% of women have a relationship issue or their partner does not want a child

· 12.2% of women are too young (their parents or others object to the pregnancy)

· 10.8% of women feel a child will disrupt their education or career

· 7.9% of women want no (more) children

· 3.3% of women have an abortion due to a risk to fetal health

2.8% of women have an abortion due to a risk to maternal health

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So how many women’s lives have been saved by abortion?

Only about 3% of abortions since 1972 were reported to be “due to a risk to maternal health.” A reasonable person would recognize that not all of those cases represent a lethal risk. But let’s say they did. That means that nearly 45 million fetuses were butchered to save the lives of about 1.3 million women. Or put another way; 35 babies are killed to save each woman.

Abortion was legal in all 50 states prior to Roe v. Wade in cases of danger to the life of the woman.

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