Scottish Catholic Observer

Pro-life campaigners are celebrating a high-profile victory ahead of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, with abortion being excluded from the text of the conference’s outcome document.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) lobbied for the outcome throughout the document’s negotiations and in the conference’s preparatory sessions was delighted with the decision.

Pat Buckley, one of SPUC’s UN representatives, said it was great news that the concession had been made ahead of the conference.

“The outcome document (known as The Future We Want) has been a major battleground for months with attempts to insert anti-life measures including abortion and population control under the guise of so-called ‘reproductive rights’ or ‘reproductive health services,’” he said. “The finally-agreed text, to be signed by heads of state on Friday, has no reference to ‘reproductive rights’ and no mention of ‘reproductive health services.’

“This pro-life success was won by a group of countries together with the Holy See, among others including Russia, Poland and several Latin American countries. Pro-abortion groups are furious at the result. The next phase of the Rio+20 meeting begins today with the high-level meeting of leaders who must vote on the text’s adoption.”