SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attends Security Council meeting at U.N. Headquarters in New York on September 20, 2019. (Photo: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Trump Condemned for Moving to 'Roll Back the Clock' on Women's Rights as Letter Exposes Attempt to Form Anti-Abortion UN Coalition
"It's not just abortion that they care about, they care about women's ability to exercise autonomy over their bodies and about denying them critical access to the services they need."
Sep 23, 2019
Global women's rights advocates raised alarm Monday after a leaked letter showed the Trump administration is pressuring U.N. member nations to join an international anti-abortion coalition.
The letter, first reported by the Guardian and set to be presented Monday during a U.N. General Assembly meeting on universal health coverage, urges nations to oppose the creation of "a new international right to abortion."
"This letter just shows how they are trying to erode international consensus and roll back the clock for women and girls."
--Shannon Kowalski
"As a key priority in global health promotion, we respectfully request that your government join the United States in ensuring that every sovereign state has the ability to determine the best way to protect the unborn and defend the family as the foundational unity of society vital to children thriving and leading healthy lives," states the letter, which was reportedly signed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
Shannon Kowalski, director of advocacy and policy at the International Women's Health Coalition, was quick to condemn the Trump administration's reported effort as an alarming attack on women's right to abortion as well as other reproductive care.
"This letter just shows how they are trying to erode international consensus and roll back the clock for women and girls," Kowalski told The Guardian. "It's not just abortion that they care about, they care about women's ability to exercise autonomy over their bodies and about denying them critical access to the services they need."
As The Guardian reported, this is hardly the first time the Trump administration has worked to undermine international support for women's rights at the U.N.
"Intense lobbying by U.S. officials in April resulted in the removal of references to sexual and reproductive health from a U.N. Security Council resolution on combating rape in conflict," The Guardian noted. "The U.S. previously attempted to water down language and remove the word 'gender' from U.N. documents."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Global women's rights advocates raised alarm Monday after a leaked letter showed the Trump administration is pressuring U.N. member nations to join an international anti-abortion coalition.
The letter, first reported by the Guardian and set to be presented Monday during a U.N. General Assembly meeting on universal health coverage, urges nations to oppose the creation of "a new international right to abortion."
"This letter just shows how they are trying to erode international consensus and roll back the clock for women and girls."
--Shannon Kowalski
"As a key priority in global health promotion, we respectfully request that your government join the United States in ensuring that every sovereign state has the ability to determine the best way to protect the unborn and defend the family as the foundational unity of society vital to children thriving and leading healthy lives," states the letter, which was reportedly signed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
Shannon Kowalski, director of advocacy and policy at the International Women's Health Coalition, was quick to condemn the Trump administration's reported effort as an alarming attack on women's right to abortion as well as other reproductive care.
"This letter just shows how they are trying to erode international consensus and roll back the clock for women and girls," Kowalski told The Guardian. "It's not just abortion that they care about, they care about women's ability to exercise autonomy over their bodies and about denying them critical access to the services they need."
As The Guardian reported, this is hardly the first time the Trump administration has worked to undermine international support for women's rights at the U.N.
"Intense lobbying by U.S. officials in April resulted in the removal of references to sexual and reproductive health from a U.N. Security Council resolution on combating rape in conflict," The Guardian noted. "The U.S. previously attempted to water down language and remove the word 'gender' from U.N. documents."
Global women's rights advocates raised alarm Monday after a leaked letter showed the Trump administration is pressuring U.N. member nations to join an international anti-abortion coalition.
The letter, first reported by the Guardian and set to be presented Monday during a U.N. General Assembly meeting on universal health coverage, urges nations to oppose the creation of "a new international right to abortion."
"This letter just shows how they are trying to erode international consensus and roll back the clock for women and girls."
--Shannon Kowalski
"As a key priority in global health promotion, we respectfully request that your government join the United States in ensuring that every sovereign state has the ability to determine the best way to protect the unborn and defend the family as the foundational unity of society vital to children thriving and leading healthy lives," states the letter, which was reportedly signed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
Shannon Kowalski, director of advocacy and policy at the International Women's Health Coalition, was quick to condemn the Trump administration's reported effort as an alarming attack on women's right to abortion as well as other reproductive care.
"This letter just shows how they are trying to erode international consensus and roll back the clock for women and girls," Kowalski told The Guardian. "It's not just abortion that they care about, they care about women's ability to exercise autonomy over their bodies and about denying them critical access to the services they need."
As The Guardian reported, this is hardly the first time the Trump administration has worked to undermine international support for women's rights at the U.N.
"Intense lobbying by U.S. officials in April resulted in the removal of references to sexual and reproductive health from a U.N. Security Council resolution on combating rape in conflict," The Guardian noted. "The U.S. previously attempted to water down language and remove the word 'gender' from U.N. documents."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.