El Salvador

NO to Anti-Family,

Pro-Abortion

Youth Convention

October 2008

The President of El Salvador affirmed that his country would not sign the Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Youth (ICRY) as it violated El Salvador´s Constitution.

The ICRY is backed by Spain´s socialist president and has the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Article 25 labels sexual and reproductive health a "right" and calls for confidentiality with respect to this right. Sexual and reproductive health is often used to promote abortion.
Article 23 mandates a "right to sexual education" that includes "full acceptance" of the youth´s "identity", a term another article defines as including sexual orientation.

Given that the ICRY encompasses minors within the scope of youth, this Convention undermines parental rights and the family unit.

The Constitution of El Salvador states that the family is the fundamental base of society and entitled to protection by the State, language similar to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The ICRY is in effect in Costa Rica and 5 other countries.

El Salvador, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia and have refused to sign the ICRY.

Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Nicaragua have refused to ratify the ICRY.

Mexico

The Canadian Catholic bishops' overseas aid agency is reportedly supporting pro-abortion groups in Mexico. Development and Peace is said to have sent $170,000 to five organisations which are lobbying for a liberalisation of abortion law and for morning-after pills to be distributed. The agency concedes it does not look at recipients' stance on life issues when considering applications for funding; a spokesman said it had no policy in that area. [LifeSiteNews, 11 March]