The pro-abortion lobby is exploiting the Zika virus crisis in the Latin America region in order to persuade countries to weaken their abortion laws, pro-life campaigners have warned.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on governments in Zika-affected countries such as Brazil, El Salvador and Colombia to repeal their pro-life abortion laws, so that women have the “possibility” of aborting their babies.
But a petition launched by CitizenGo has been signed by tens of thousands of people who are urging the UN, the World Health Organisation and the Pan American Health Organization not to use the Zika virus to “push an abortion agenda”.
Ideological campaign
The petition reads: “Faced with an epidemic of a virus like Zika, a balanced and thoughtful response should include preventative measures, a good communication campaign to fight the virus, and research to stop this outbreak and prevent future outbreaks.
… the Zika virus is not an argument for more child-killing by abortion
Judie Brown
“I hope that you will not allow the Zika virus to be wrongly used in an ideological campaign against the right to life before birth.”
So far, 66,302 signatures have been gathered.
Debate
The rapidly spreading mosquito-borne Zika virus has been linked to a surge of babies being born with microcephaly, a condition resulting in a malformed skull and possible delays in brain growth.
In Brazil, a group of lawyers, activists and scientists is calling on the country’s Supreme Court to ask for abortion to be legalised in cases where mothers have contracted the virus.
In Colombia, the director of an abortion rights group said she hoped Zika “changes the debate” on the issue.
Dignity
The pro-life campaign ‘Brazil Without Abortion’ said that calls to legalise abortion for microcephaly amount to prejudice against disabled people.
American Life League president Judie Brown said that pro-abortion activists are using Zika “to press on for laws that diminish the dignity of the pre-born child while exonerating acts that kill them”.
“The Zika virus is a horrible threat to women, children, and others, but when aborting a child is considered to be an antidote, there is clearly something wrong with the attitudes of those who should be at the forefront of developing an ethical vaccine to fight the virus rather than fighting it by killing possible victims”.
She added: “Spread the word: the Zika virus is not an argument for more child-killing by abortion. The Zika virus needs a remedy that saves lives.”