UN prepares for abortion debate at Cairo meet<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The topic of abortion is likely to be a
\ncontentious one at the international conference on population and
\ndevelopment in Cairo next month, a UN representative said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Ali Ugur Tuncer, the resident director of the UN Population
\nFund, stressed however that the seminar will treat the question
\nof abortion strictly as a health issue and not a family planning
\nmatter as many have suggested.<\/p>\n
\"Abortion is not contraception. However, it is a reality and a
\nfact -- whether it is conducted legally or not -- and for this
\nreason it should therefore be discussed,\" Tuncer said during a
\nseminar on \"The Road to Cairo -- Population, Sustained Economic
\nGrowth and Sustainable Development\" organized by the local UN
\nInformation Center.<\/p>\n
The Cairo conference, scheduled for Sept. 5-13, will be
\nattended by a number of world leaders. President Soeharto has
\nbeen invited to address the gathering on behalf of the Non-
\nAligned Movement.<\/p>\n
Tuncer said that although the UN intends to discuss abortion
\nstrictly as a health issue, some institutions have tried to
\ncapitalize on it and \"make the issue bigger than it actually is.\"<\/p>\n
More than 15,000 abortions take place each year in the world
\nand 25 to 30 percent result in the mother's death, he said.<\/p>\n
Illegal abortions, if carried out, often take the form of
\nunhygienic and unsafe practices, which in turn can result in very
\nserious health problems, he added.<\/p>\n
Abdullah Cholil, Chairman of the National Committee for the
\nInternational Conference on Population and Development, agreed
\nthat the abortion debate has shifted to the question of the
\nrights of the mother and is no longer about contraception.<\/p>\n
In the run up to Cairo, the world body and the government of
\nEgypt have been criticized for including abortion and other
\ncontroversial issues in the agenda.<\/p>\n
Both the Roman Catholic Church and the oldest Moslem
\ninstitution in the world, Al Azhar University in Cairo, on
\nseparate occasions expressed their dissatisfaction over issues
\nsuch as abortion, women's rights, family structures -- including
\nsexual rights and homosexuality -- and adolescent sexuality which
\nare all incorporated in a UN document.<\/p>\n
They condemned the document, saying that its language was
\nambiguous and tended to promote abortion and extramarital sex.<\/p>\n
WHO<\/p>\n
State Minister of Population and Chairman of the National
\nFamily Planning Board Haryono Suyono said those who oppose the
\ninclusion of abortion in the agenda suggested that it should be
\nhandled by the World Health Organization and not by the UN's
\npopulation agency.<\/p>\n
\"They are demanding that the issue be entirely removed from
\nthe conference's agenda,\" Haryono said.<\/p>\n
He added that another group, however, insists that the issue
\nof abortion should be discussed in all forums, whenever possible.<\/p>\n
\"In their opinion, the sooner the issue is discussed and a
\nconclusion -- that abortion is not part of family planning -- is
\nreached, the sooner we can get away from it once and for all and
\nproceed with other matters,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Haryono explained that although Indonesia has incorporated the
\nissue of abortion in its health legislation and not in family
\ndevelopment or population growth regulations, it has yet to
\nspecify the specific considerations in which abortions may be
\ncarried out.<\/p>\n
\"Women who want an abortion in some parts of the world
\nactually have to walk and carry by themselves the 9.5 liters of
\nwater they need to have an abortion at clinics miles away from
\ntheir homes,\" he said, adding that family planning is the best
\nway to curb the suffering of such women.<\/p>\n
Fifteen thousand participants from government delegations are
\nexpected to attend the conference while another 4,000 to 6,000
\nparticipants from non-governmental organizations will hold a
\nsimultaneous conference. (pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/un-prepares-for-abortion-debate-at-cairo-meet-1447893297",
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