LIFE DIGEST: U.S. aid helps abortion advocacy in Kenya
- Jul 20, 2010 - comment -
The United States government is providing $23 million to aid Kenya in its referendum on a new constitution, and some of that funding has been used to promote passage of a document that would liberalize the African country’s abortion policy, the leading pro-life advocate in Congress said July 16.
Rep. Chris Smith, R.-N.J., said organizations supporting the proposed constitution and its expansion of access to abortion have received American aid, according to a report from the inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Also in this edition: Bill targets pregnancy centers, Planned Parenthood honors Pelosi, and Malnutrition of elderly Scots ‘form of euthanasia’.
Kenya’s current law permits abortion only when a mother’s life is threatened. The proposed constitution, which will be voted on by Kenyans Aug. 4, would expand the exception to include one for the health of the mother. The health exception has been interpreted, however, to encompass such categories as mental health, economic status and family size.
The report provided by USAID’s inspector general, Donald Gambatesa, shows several organizations that advocate for increased access to abortion received American fundsm Smith said. Among them were the Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review in Kenya, which wrote the health exception in the proposed constitution, and the Kenyan Federation of Women Lawyers. The Kenyan Federation is part of the Kenyan Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance, which receives backing from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the leading abortion provider in the U.S.
While the American government should support Kenya’s effort to hold a free and just vote, it should not back a particular position on the constitution, especially a proposal that would increase abortions, Smith said. Funding for such advocacy would violate a federal law that bans USAID and State Department funds from being used to promote or oppose abortion, he said.
“We should be embracing the health and welfare of both mothers and children in [Africa] while respecting sovereign pro-life laws,” Smith said in a written statement. “Instead, the Obama Administration is trying to change Kenya’s existing restriction on abortion through the referendum. Such actions constitute a violation of U.S. law and [are] an affront to both the pro-life people of Kenya and the U.S., an overwhelming majority of whom do not support abortion, and in the case of the U.S. – do not want their tax dollars to pay for abortion activities.”
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, said an investigation showed nine grants were used to support passage of the constitution and those grants had been suspended, the Associated Press reported July 17.
Bill targets pregnancy centers
Recently introduced federal legislation to regulate advertising by pregnancy centers is “just another attempt to shut down the competition,” according to Care Net, a network of more than 1,100 such centers.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D.-N.Y., introduced the Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Services Act, H.R. 5652, June 30, the same day Sen. Robert Menendez, D.-N.J., offered a companion bill in the Senate.
The measure would direct the Federal Trade Commission to issue new rules prohibiting advertising that intends to give the impression a center provides abortions when it does not. While many pregnancy centers are “forthright and respectful,” Maloney said, “some take a more underhanded approach to lure in women seeking abortions by using tactics that should be illegal.”
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-choice America, applauded the legislation, saying many pregnancy centers “use deceptive and manipulative tactics.” NARAL is one of the country’s leading abortion rights organizations.
Care Net President Melinda Delahoyde denied the charges, saying affiliates with her organization and other national groups, such as Heartbeat International and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, abide by a document that commits them to advertise and communicate truthfully.
“What’s happening is that pregnancy centers have become an integral part of a community’s support network for women and children,” Delahoyde said. “With such holistic support available, women are empowered to choose abortion alternatives and the abortion industry simply doesn’t like losing business.”
Planned Parenthood honors Pelosi
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the country’s leading abortion provider, honored Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi July 15 with one of its 2010 Champions of Women’s Health awards. Pelosi is a Democrat from California.
Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards praised Pelosi for gaining passage earlier this year of a health-care reform bill that will subsidize abortions in insurance plans.
“I think when the history books are written about who stood up for women when the chips were down, when a lot of folks were ready to throw us under the bus, it was Speaker Nancy Pelosi who did that work,” Richards said at the event in a congressional office building, according to Politico.com. “She’s walked across hot coals for us.”
Also honored for her longtime support of abortion rights was Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D.-Mich..
Malnutrition of elderly Scots ‘form of euthanasia’
Malnutrition of elderly Scots ‘form of euthanasia’
Government-run hospitals in Scotland are guilty of a “form of euthanasia” by malnutrition, a patients organization head said recently.
Jean Turner, executive director of the Scotland Patients Association (SPA), said hundreds of patients, especially the elderly, are undernourished in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals because of a lack of assistance from staff members, The Herald of Glasgow, Scotland, reported July 4.
About 50,000 patients die in a state of malnutrition each year at NHS facilities, according to a recent report.
“The SPA would call this a form of euthanasia to allow dehydration and malnutrition to develop due to lack of awareness, lack of staffing or carelessness,” Turner said, according to The Herald.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to protect the sanctity of human life. If you would like to learn more about this issue, additional resources are available here. Our free, downloadable Impact resource is also available online. If your church is interested in purchasing materials on the sanctity of human life, please visit our online bookstore and erlc.com
Further Learning
Learn more about: Life, Abortion, End-of-Life Issues, Citizenship, Legislation, Science, Bioethics, Issues,