_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________Nepal_______________
UN demands legalized abortion
International pressure on a tiny state
In one of the most explicit demands for abortion legalization ever issued by a United Nations committee, on August 31, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) issued its Concluding Observations of the Committee on Nepal. While the UN frequently announces that it does not promote abortions in countries where the practice is illegal, the official report of the CESCR concluding observations, which was made public in September, suggests otherwise.
The UN report states:
The Committee urges the State party to take remedial action to address the problems of clandestine abortions, unwanted pregnancies, and the high rate of maternal mortality. In this regard, the Committee urges the State party to reinforce reproductive and sexual health programs, in particular in rural areas, and to allow abortion when pregnancies are life threatening or a result of rape or incest.
The UN clearly is overstepping its bounds in this case. The CESCR, which was set up to review how the rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) are protected, acted outside its jurisdiction since abortion is not even mentioned in the ICESCR. The document does not even use the usual UN “code” phrase for abortion: “reproductive health services.” Moreover, Nepal’s report to the committee does not mention abortion.
In Nepal, which signed on to the ICESCR in May 1991, the right to life of unborn children is protected by law.
Back to Catholic World Report November 2001 Table of Contents