World News and Trends: UN treaty to make abortion a basic right?
As many countries use the language in the treaty to justify abortion, will the UN treaty lead to international abortion rights?
Some countries are using a UN treaty to make abortion an international legal right, according to the Catholic World News Web site, cwnews.com.
Language making "sexual and reproductive health services"—UN jargon for abortion—a basic human right has received broad support from governments involved in drafting a UN treaty to protect and promote the rights of the disabled. Such language has never previously appeared in a binding treaty.
If approved, the treaty would require signatory nations to "provide persons with disabilities with the same range and standard of health and rehabilitation services as provided other citizens, including sexual and reproductive health services." By describing such services as rights guaranteed to all citizens, the treaty would essentially enshrine abortion rights as international law.
The current draft also includes language that has been interpreted as supporting euthanasia by banning life-saving measures for the ill and medical treatment for those attempting suicide.
The drive to include these provisions in the treaty is being led primarily by the European Union. Oddly, abortion in most circumstances is still illegal in several EU member nations, including Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Malta. (Source: Catholic World News.)
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
