Abortion Provider Speaks Out at UN

I have the honor and privilege to go to the United Nations next week in Geneva, Switzerland.

 In April of 2008 at the Abortion Care Network (ACN) meeting in Atlanta, I heard two speakers talk about abortion rights as a Human Rights issue and abortion clinic workers as Human Rights Defenders.  One of these speakers was from the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and the other from Sister Song.  Both speakers talked about the UN treaty and the Declaration of Human Rights. I was stunned that I had never heard this discussion before in spite of the fact that we have been burned down, bombed out, harassed and intimidated and finally murdered (this was before our beloved George Tiller was assassinated).

Framing the abortion issue as a human rights issue made so much sense to me personally.  Both speakers discussed what the UN treaty said about women choosing when to become a mother and forced pregnancy, and other reproductive decisions.  At the end of the meeting I felt hope in a way I had not felt in a very long time. Article 16 of the treaty has the language about the number and spacing of children. 

I testified at a hearing held by the Department of Justice (DOJ) here in Detroit last April. It was one of several hearings held around the country as part of a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the Human Rights Council, of the United Nations. I was able to provide testimony at two separate panels that day: I had a chance to speak about domestic terrorism (remember we have the largest Arab population outside the middle east here in metro Detroit and there were many stories of American Arabs being treated very badly) that we as abortion providers live with daily AND the second was about health care---the disparity between women of color and financial means -- higher number of unintended pregnancies, higher number of STD's barriers to health care etc.   Click here for more info on this process.

The UN for the FIRST TIME is reviewing the United States’ human rights protections and human rights abuses (surprisingly, there are many including things like death penalty for minors still on the books in some states) and we are also supposed to ratify the UN treaty, which this country has not done. Under President Obama, this is the FIRST time a president of the US created an opportunity for citizens of this country to makes comments and participate in the Human Rights review process. The opportunity for abortion care workers to use the Human Rights framework for reproductive rights under the treaties ratified by the US and to discuss the process of reviewing the US compliance with its Human Rights obligations is unprecedented. 

For some of us/you who watched the Rachel Maddow show last evening (Oct 25) about the assassination of Dr. George Tiller and the look into the conspiracy by a Grand Jury -- this framework should make perfect sense.

The official report (pdf at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/146379.pdf ) is exciting in some ways and disappointing in others.  It was wonderful to see a report embracing the existence of human rights, and referring to HEALTH as a human right.  It was a letdown to see that our issues are almost completely omitted except for the 2 sentences on racial disparities in cervical cancer and HIV/AIDS infection rates. This report had to be submitted to the UN in early Sept. and was, as you can imagine, whittled down to a smaller size than all of the testimony could contain.

It is important to note that many organizations, including CRR, submitted separate reports to the UN for consideration when the formal review takes place in Geneva Switzerland the first week of Nov. 2010.  CRR has this report and a publication titled DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS, Abortion Providers Facing Threats, Restrictions, and Harassment. 

 I will be attending the UN where we, CRR and I, will be on a panel with Amnesty International  and two other groups. The framework for this panel, as of now, will be Access To Reproductive and Sexual Health Care for Marginalized Populations.We will also spend time lobbying for 2 and 1/2 days, members of the Human Rights Committee of the UN. Of course, before my colleague's get too excited --we do expect anti abortion forces of some kind to be there as well.

 I have been blessed with the opportunity to do this work I love--to work with women and men I love and admire every day. I have had the privilege to hear women's stories, the most personal stories of being able or not able to bring new life into the world --stories of decisions made for the families women already have and the sacrifices they must make to support those children.  The stories of dreams for their future, the future children they hope to have, and the future of those children already born to them.  Those of us who work in abortion care are privy to the most intimate decisions in a woman's life.

 In spite of what abortion providers have had to endure over the past almost 38 years (since 1973) they/you show up!  I will do my best to honor your work as I speak about abortion care workers and my work.  I will do my best to honor your hearts and your bravery.  I will do my best to make you proud of me as I represent all of you in all the various jobs you hold to make abortion provision in this country possible. I honor you every day of my life and I will do my best to honor you in Geneva. THANK YOU.

Please take the opportunity to learn more about this process as citizens of the United States and more importantly for the world. We owe this to our daughters/ children and grandchildren.