NEW YORK, AUG. 2, 2001 (Zenit.org).-International Planned Parenthood Federation is urging its European allies to pressure governments to ratify sexual rights for children while ignoring the role of parents, the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) reported today.
In a memo to its contacts in the European Union, Planned Parenthood criticized the activities of pro-family groups at the preparatory meetings for next month´s U.N. Special Session on Children.
The memo expresses fear that the final U.N. document that emerges will not establish sweeping enough “reproductive rights” for children, C-FAM reported in its weekly Friday Fax.
A key point of the memo, written by Karin Helsecke of Planned Parenthood´s European Network, holds that parents are the potential enemies of children´s rights, C-FAM said.
“Right-wing governments and groups are … attempting to insert language in the outcome documents that would strengthen parental authority and control to the detriment of established children´s rights,” C-FAM quoted the memo as saying.
“For instance,” Helsecke´s memo said, “they are calling for language to be included to the effect that HIV/AIDS counseling for children and adolescents would only be available with the ´knowledge of parents,´ and generally oppose providing information, education and services to adolescents with respect to their sexual and reproductive health and rights, without parental consent. Clearly, the adoption of such language must be fought against.”
Planned Parenthood also criticized the traditional understanding of family as “based on a man and woman united by marriage and their children,” because such institutions “are neither safe, particularly for young girls, nor models of gender equality.”
International Planned Parenthood, the world´s largest abortion provider, works closely with U.N. agencies such as the Population Fund, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank.
