The Hague, The Netherlands, Jun 27, 2007 / 09:20 am
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation for the Netherlands, Bert Koenders, has announced that his country and the European Union will allow future economic assistance to Nicaragua on the condition that the country reverses its decision to ban “therapeutic” abortion.
Koenders said he if fighting for the UN and his colleagues in the European Union to “put women's rights higher on the agenda,” and announced he would consider canceling aid to countries in which abortion is still illegal.
"Even if an abortion is medically necessary, it still remains illegal in Nicaragua, which results in the death of women. We should emphasize that this is completely unacceptable,” Koenders told the Dutch Platform of Millennium Goals.
"I do not want to immediately cancel our aid to Nicaragua, but we certainly will weigh the matter."