Council of Europe Pushes Abortion as Part of Cairo Conference Anniversary

October 1, 2009
By Samantha Singson

Excerpt:
A major theme of the accompanying explanatory memorandum is the need to reduce maternal mortality as part of the development agenda, particularly by reducing unsafe abortion. While the report pays lip-service to state sovereignty by mentioning that the legality of abortion remains in the hands of national governments, it also attempts to make the case that "restrictive abortion laws” increase the incidence of unsafe abortion.

The report fails to mention that the two countries in the EU with the most restrictive laws on abortion – Ireland and Malta - are also two of the countries with the lowest maternal mortality in the world, not just in Europe. Conversely, the report cites Moldova as a country where maternal mortality due to unsafe abortion is high. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, Moldova is listed a country with one of the most liberalized laws in the world. the rest