Amnesty International should not take position on abortion, says pro-abortion advocate

Jul 18, 2006 / 22:00 pm

Amnesty International’s recent decision to support abortion rights will cost the human rights organization “much of its credibility,” says a pro-abortion supporter.

“I am one who believes abortion should be legal in the early months,” writes Denise Noe in an editorial published on July 15 by MensNewsDaily.com. “However, legal abortion is not a basic human right similar to freedom of worship, assembly, and speech.”

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who, historically, campaign for internationally recognized human rights. Amnesty has argued that its decision to support abortion is based on the principle of protecting women’s rights by defending and promoting sexual and reproductive rights.

Abortion should not be seen as an absolute necessity for women’s freedom, says Noe. “Few figures were more militant advocating women’s rights than suffragette Susan B. Anthony who strongly opposed abortion. Free Love advocate Victoria Woodhull was similarly outspoken in denouncing it.”

Noe also tells the story of Gianna Jessen, who survived an abortion when her biological mother was seven-and-a-half months pregnant. She has cerebral palsy as a result, but Jessen has asked: “If abortion is about women’s rights, where were mine?”

“Amnesty International should take no position on the legality or illegality of abortion but should continue to work to protect the rights of people who struggle politically and socially on either side of this issue,” Noe concludes.