Bush's America is waging a global battle against women's rights
Mary-Ann Stephenson
Tuesday March 8, 2005
The Guardian
For all George Bush's courting of Europe, when it comes to women's
reproductive rights he is closer to Iran and Syria than the EU. In 1995,
representatives from 189 countries met in Beijing and agreed a major
programme on women's equality and human rights - the Beijing platform
for action. This statement was ambitious, and the UN commission on the
status of women is currently meeting in New York to review its progress
over the past decade.
The meeting was to publish a statement reaffirming international support
for the platform for action. But the US has refused to support it unless
it is amended to say that the platform does not create any new human
rights or the right to abortion.
But it doesn't actually give the right to abortion. States are called on
to "consider reviewing laws containing punitive measures against women
who have undergone illegal abortions", but the platform is clear that
"any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system
can only be determined at the national or local level according to the
national legislative process".
But that's not how the US is presenting it. Countries are being warned
that failure to support the US amendment could allow the platform to be
used to push through a "right to abortion" and take away the right of
countries to determine their own laws. Activists are furious. Annette
Lawson, of the European Women's Lobby, said the US is "simply trying to
mislead the rest of the world".
This is not the first attack on the platform. At the Beijing Plus Five
conference in 2000, Pierre Sane, the former head of Amnesty
International, complained about "the unholy alliance formed by the Holy
See, Iran, Algeria, Nicaragua, Syria, Libya, Morocco and Pakistan (that)
has attempted to hold for ransom women's human rights at UN
conferences". The climate of backlash has intensified since then,
particularly following the election of Bush.
The US argues that its actions are simply aimed at preventing a "human
right to abortion" being forced upon the world. But its real concern is
preventing women from exercising the rights they already have.
Under Bush, the US has led attempts to reverse gains made on sexual and
reproductive rights. One of his first presidential acts was to reinstate
the global gag rule, which means any organisation in the world that
receives any US funding is banned from providing abortion services,
including counselling or referrals for abortion.
The rule has forced family planning organisations to close clinics, cut
services and increase fees. Shipments of US condoms and contraceptives
have ceased to 16 developing countries. Family planning organisations in
another 16 countries have lost access to condoms because they have
refused to accept the restrictions.
It's not just abortion rights that the US is opposed to. At an Asian and
Pacific conference last year on population and development, the US
delegation tried to eliminate all references to condom use as a way of
preventing the spread of HIV/Aids, insisting on a policy of "simple
abstinence". The US was isolated, and its position was defeated by 32
votes to one.
At the start of last week, the US had looked similarly isolated, but its
tactics of picking off one country at a time through a familiar
combination of promises and threats appear to be working. The EU is
standing firm, issuing a statement reaffirming its support for the
platform and placing emphasis on the need to pay greater attention to
sexual and reproductive health and rights. But some activists are
worried that countries such as Poland and Malta are coming under intense
pressure.
Fears of a US-led backlash have already affected UN activities on
women's human rights. Activists were afraid that if the platform was
open to revision, the rights set out in it might be rolled back. This is
why the event taking place in New York is not a conference that could
build on the Beijing agreements, but is simply a meeting to review
progress.
Before the meeting began, it was already depressing that the best women
could hope for from the international community was that it "reaffirm" a
10-year-old agreement. Now it looks like even that was wildly
optimistic. But there are some things that give hope. More than 6,000
women (and some men) are attending the meetings. It may not be an
official world conference, but organisations and individuals from around
the world are meeting, sharing ideas and strategies. Ceri Hayes, of
Womankind Worldwide, says that those attending are sending "a clear
message to the world that the women's movement is alive and kicking".
With the current US administration, a lively international women's
movement with a good strong kick couldn't be needed more.
· Mary-Ann Stephenson is a trainer and consultant on women's leadership
maryann@maryannstephenson.co.uk
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