GOP Congressmen to UN: Don’t Use Zika to ‘Overturn Laws of Many Nations Protective of Life at All Stages of Development’
Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) and 50 other House Republicans sent a letter to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein Thursday requesting that he clarify that the U.N. is not “calling for changes to laws protecting the human rights of unborn children” in a statement the commissioner made calling for wider access to “reproductive health services” in response to the Zika virus affecting several Latin American countries.
The congressmen wrote that they were “troubled to read the United Nations Commission on Human Rights February 5, 2016 press release on the recent spread of the Zika virus and its implications for abortion practices.”
The statement from Zeid’s office emphasized that in light of the Zika outbreak “laws and policies that restrict access to sexual and reproductive health services in contravention of international standards, must be repealed…”
The members wrote that they are “concerned” by what the commissioner’s statement “may suggest.”
“We believe the Zika virus should be a time for thoughtful deliberation as local and national governments determine the best policies to curb the spread of this disease,” they wrote. “It should not be an occasion to exploit a genuine public health crisis to advance a political agenda to overturn laws of many nations protective of life at all stages of development.” (Read more from “GOP Congressmen to UN: Don’t Use Zika to ‘Overturn Laws of Many Nations Protective of Life at All Stages of Development'” HERE)
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