by Tim Hermann
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 20 (C-FAM) --
In an astounding show of solidarity, a diverse group of countries rallied together with the Holy See to successfully remove any mention of reproductive rights or population control from the final outcome document produced during the last round of UN negotiations at the Rio +20 conference this week.
For the past six months, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) along with Norway and Iceland, and Catholics for Choice and the International Planned Parenthood Federation, have worked feverishly to take advantage of the Rio +20 conference on sustainable development in order to promote both an international right to abortion and population control.
Catholics for Choice distributed a number of publications and statements with the obvious goal of the Vatican's unique influence within the United Nations as a Permanent Observer. In a recent briefing paper, they claim that the Holy See's "tendency to insist on outlier positions that situate it far from those of the prevailing consensus" undermines "international consensus on human rights and roll back the clock on norms and principles that are equally valued by United Nations members."
However, the negotiations in Rio this week show that the Holy See, far from being an "outlier" among nations, is a leader of consensus. Along with the Holy See, Nicaragua, Chile, Russia, Honduras, Syria, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Egypt all rejected the introduction of "reproductive rights" into the Rio +20 outcome document....
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