“WHO bureaucrats have no authority to create law through the issuance of recommendations, and there is no such thing as ‘abortion law’ in the international sphere,” she said. “There is only the international obligation to protect the right to life, including that of the unborn. It is important that lawmakers be reminded that the WHO has no legal authority in this regard, and that the power to make law and policy on issues relating to health lies firmly at the national level.”
Koren also criticized the document’s depiction of abortion as a human right.
“International human rights law recognizes the unborn child as a rights-holding person,” she said. “Governments that permit abortion are thus not only endorsing a mass-scale human rights tragedy, but also violating their obligations under international law to safeguard human life, including the unborn.”
“On the other hand, no right to abortion exists,” she added. “There is no foundation in international law, either implicit or explicit, to support the right to end the life of a child in the womb.”
The WHO acknowledges that 75% of countries have legal penalties for abortion, but recommends “removing medically unnecessary policy barriers to safe abortion” including criminalization, mandatory waiting times, mandatory approval by family members, or “limits on when during pregnancy an abortion can take place.”
Koren said the WHO’s position deserves an effective response.
“Despite the best efforts of abortion activists to promote a revisionist understanding of the law, it is imperative that we consistently assert that international law is pro-life, and hold governments to their obligations in this regard,” she said. “Authentic respect for human rights requires safeguarding the right to life of the unborn, in addition to ensuring that mothers and their families have the resources and support necessary to welcome new life.”
The WHO has said that abortion is a “simple and extremely safe procedure” when carried out by informed, skilled staff following recommended abortion methods. It said about half of all abortions take place under these conditions. It blamed “unsafe abortions” for 39,000 annual deaths and millions of hospitalizations for complications each year
In a Nov. 25, 2021 fact sheet, the WHO said about 73 million induced abortions take place each year.
Craig Lissner, acting director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization, said the ability to obtain “safe abortion” is “a crucial part of health care.”
“Nearly every death and injury that results from unsafe abortion is entirely preventable,” Lissner said in the March 9 announcement of the new guidelines document. “That’s why we recommend women and girls can access abortion and family planning services when they need them.”
(Story continues below)
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For her part, Koren emphasized that the life of the unborn child deserves the law’s protection.
“Even where legal, abortion is a tragedy that often endangers the life and health of a woman, and always results in the death of a child.”
“While particularly dangerous, ‘unsafe abortions,’ meaning abortions that transpire in situations where the practice is illegal, are frequently cited by activists as irrefutable proof that abortion should be legalized,” she added.
“The WHO is correct to assert that such procedures are extremely dangerous, but that in no way justifies changing national laws to sanction the termination of unborn life. It must be made clear that the pro-abortion agenda is not only anti-life, but also anti-woman,” said Koren. “The only solution is to stop illegal abortions wherever they take place with the full force of the law to protect women and their babies. The perpetrators that perform these services must be held accountable for imperiling the lives of vulnerable women and violating national laws that protect unborn life.”
She advised addressing the root causes that motivate women to seek illegal abortion.
“Reducing recourse to abortion requires comprehensive attention to ensuring that women and their families are supported by alleviating poverty, establishing social safety nets, and guaranteeing that the fundamental needs of every child can be met,” she said.