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During the first two weeks of March the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) held its 53rd session, the theme for this year being “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS”. Participation in the CSW is by government delegations from UN member countries, but non-government organisations accredited to the UN’s Economic and Social Council hold “parallel events”, i.e. workshops with speakers. This provides the opportunity for pro-life organisations to lobby government delegations because underlying the theme adopted by the CSW is a battle between those holding to a pro-life and pro-family vision versus countries and NGOs promoting abortion and homosexual “rights”. During the CSW session, member countries’ delegates work paragraph by paragraph on a draft document which is adopted by consensus and is then sent to the UN General Assembly for adoption. What pro-lifers watch for, and try to eliminate by lobbying delegates, are phrases such as “sexual and reproductive rights”, which are code words for the promotion of abortion, contraception, condom distribution, permissive sex education and homosexuality. This year there was a feeling of deja vu when Norwegian State Secretary, Hakon Gulbrandsen, declaimed “Sexual rights are a cornerstone to gender equality - safe abortion is a crucial component of sexual and reproductive rights.” We have been hearing this from the EU and Canada for the past 15 years, and now we are also hearing it from the US delegation, which was pro-life during the Bush presidency but is now aggressively pro-abortion. At a US briefing, US delegate Ellen Chesler, author of a biography praising Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, said it was a priority for the Obama Administration to include language in the CSW document which ensured an international right to abortion. When reminded by Endeavour Forum’s US representative, Molly White, about the scientific evidence of the detrimental effects of abortion on women, Chesler dismissed the question stating that the evidence is “unreliable because it has ideological elements”. [As if pro-choice “evidence” doesn’t! Editor] UN documents are adopted on a basis of consensus, and the battle on the final document this year is regarded by pro-life NGOs as “a draw”, because small pro-life countries such as Malta gallantly opposed anti-life phraseology. The only mention of “sexual and reproductive health and services “ is in one paragraph dealing with HIV prevention.

However, there are several mentions of the importance of devising family-friendly policies, and of measuring “in quantitative and qualitative terms, unremunerated work that is outside national accounts, in order to better reflect its value in such accounts, and recognize and take necessary measures to incorporate the value and cost of unpaid work within and between households and society at large in policies, strategies, plans and budgets across all relevant sectors...” The CSW document included several idealistic paragraphs about shared responsibilities between men and women, eliminating violence and coerced sex, and financial equality between women and men. But in the context of providing accurate education on HIV/AIDS, there was no mention of abstinence education. This is a serious omission as the World Health Organisation has finally acknowledged that (except in sub-Saharan Africa) HIV/AIDS is primarily a disease of homosexual men and intravenous drug users. Recent data shows that the incidence of HIV is greater in Washington DC than in some African countries. Endeavour Forum sponsored two NGO workshops: l. “Breast Cancer Risk Reduction”, hosted by our Canadian representative, Mrs. Denise Mountenay (who Australians will remember from her speaking tour of this country last year) dealt with abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer. Speakers were breast surgeon, Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, and Dr. Joel Brind, professor of endocrinology. Mrs. Eve Silver, Latino director of Clear Research, also spoke of her abortion, subsequent development of breast cancer and mastectomy. Denise Mountenay expressed great concern that women are not being informed or warned about the abortion- breast cancer link. 2. “Women’s Reproductive Health” hosted by Mrs. Molly White, with presenters Kay Lyn Carlson, Licensed Medical Social Worker and Millie Lace, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, discussed the detrimental psychological, physiological and social effects of abortion. More testimonies from women damaged by legal abortion were heard and the importance of abortion recovery programs to help women resolve the complicated grief issues associated with abortion were emphasized. The Endeavour Forum workshops were co-sponsored by Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, REAL Women of Canada, the Howard Centre for Family, Religion & Society, and the JMJ Children’s Fund. Every workshop was packed to over-flowing with delegates and representatives from many nations.

Denise Mountenay also chaired a workshop sponsored by the Catholic Women’s League of Australia on “The Health of Mothers”. Information was given on the detrimental effects of legal abortion on women physically, psychologically and spiritually. Several women from Silent No More-Operation Outcry testified on their pain after legal abortion along with references to studies and references on the health, value, dignity and honour of motherhood and fatherhood. Denise said:“ Abortion is a wrong and not a right - we are determined that our voices will be heard on the national and international level. Millions of women who’ve had abortions are hurting all over the world as a result, and millions of innocent children are dead. That is why we are here to be their voices. Together as a coalition we will change hearts, minds, laws and history.” A delegate from Nigeria responded: “My nation and many other African nations are constantly under pressure to legalize abortion. I thank God for you, for now we have hope”. Another workshop of note was sponsored by Concerned Women for America on “Mental Health and Reproductive Issues” with expert researchers Dr. Martha Shuping, Dr. Priscilla Coleman and Dr. Vincent Rue Report and Media Release from Molly White: “I want to take this time to thank Babette Francis for working so hard to get us accredited. Babette, you would be so proud of these women. We hope you will be with us next year. We are praying for your husband. “WOMEN who’ve had ‘safe, legal’ abortions from across Canada and the USA attended the UN 53rd Commission on the Status of Women Conference to bring awareness that abortion is a violent act against women and children. “Molly S. White, American Representative for Endeavour Forum, Inc. and Denise Mountenay, Canadian Representative, led a team of 32 international pro-life leaders to the 53rd UN CSW meeting to lobby for pro-life and pro-family causes and conduct educational workshops. Twenty-four team members have experienced the trauma of abortion and used their personal experiences to educate conference delegates on the devastating impact abortion has on women. “ ‘There was an overwhelming positive response on our prolife views and how abortion impacted each one of our lives’, says team member Carrie Carlson, Executive Director of a crisis pregnancy center in Kansas. Many of the International Delegates who attended our workshops were pleasantly surprised that there are pro-life women in America. “During the US Mission Delegation and NGO meeting on Tuesday, Molly White who has lobbied at CSW meetings for the past five years, expressed the need for CSW to address the issue of women who have been damaged by abortion. She was quickly dismissed by the Honorable Meryl Frank, US Representative to the CSW, moderator for the delegation.

Meryl Frank said ‘The Obama Administration is committed to “sound” scientific research and not ideological positions and according to our science experts there is no proven link between abortion and mental health complications’. When the meeting adjourned Molly sent eleven of her team to tell each member of the US Delegation about their abortion trauma which led to a personal meeting with Peggy Kerry, NGO Liaison with the US Mission to the UN. (Peggy is the sister of former US Presidential candidate, John Kerry.)

“During the meeting with Peggy Kerry and Elizabeth Schlachter, US Department of State Office of Population, Refugees and Migration, Endeavour Forum team members Cindy Collins of World Generation Outreach, Rebecca Porter, Declaration Ambassador with Operation Outcry, Molly White and Millie Lace discussed the issues surrounding abortion and how our work included helping hurting women recover from their abortion, helping young girls and women facing a crisis pregnancy make healthy and informed choices, meeting the needs of pregnant women and, helping the younger generation make character building decisions based on self respect. Molly is hopeful that the meeting outcome will lead to further discussions with the US Mission and the US Government about post abortion trauma.

“I want to share some good news. Cindy Collins helped rescue a baby from abortion some months ago. The baby was born on Thursday, the 12th of March. The little girl was named Babette. We believe this child was named after Babette Francis, and it was so coincidental that she was born on the day we held our last workshop. Twelve also represents the number of Apostles. We hope this blesses you. Shalom aleichem (Peace to you)”, Molly S. White