The UN & Abortion for Kids

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has adopted a new general comment on access to justice following debates regarding abortion language and parental rights. The committee of experts also pressured governments to promote gender ideology.

The Holy See opposed the draft because it included a right to effective access to safe abortion services for adolescent girls. The Holy See stated that no right to abortion is recognized under international law and that a lack of access to these services does not violate international human rights obligations. The Holy See also criticized the text for treating children as autonomous agents independent of their families and for including references to LGBTQ children, noting that such terms lack a legal definition in international law. Egypt also objected to the references to LGBTQ children and stated that any mention of abortion must follow national legal standards.

The committee postponed a final decision on the text during a meeting earlier this year due to these controversies. The final language of the general comment will be available when the edited form is published in the coming weeks.