Beijing + 10: Controversy as US opposes abortion rights

The 1995 Beijing declaration reaffirmed the "right of all women to control all aspects of their health, in particular their own fertility". A document attached to the declaration said that abortion should be safe where it is legal and women should not be punished for having one. It left legal decisions up to each country.

The US Clinton government was at the time a strong supporter of the Beijing declaration. But now the Bush administration wants to backtrack on this. It has reversed Washington’s policy on abortion and blocked funding of UN family planning efforts.

"There is no fundamental right to abortion", said the US envoy Ellen Sauerbrey, according to Reuters. She blamed women’s rights NGOs for "trying to hijack" the issue and make abortion a right.

Other delegates reacted strongly to the US’s change of position:

"It clearly demonstrates that this government has taken a 180-degree reversal from the US government in 1995 and 2000", said Adrienne German, president of the International Women’s Health Coalition, according to the Guardian.

"It is very important not to give the impression to the world that there is a step back or a reinterpretation of this issue", Nicole Ameline, France’s minister for parity and equality said, according to Reuters.

Most delegates at the conference are opposed to re-opening the Beijing document to reinterpretation, though it is believed that Egypt, Qatar and the Vatican may support the US position.

The issue could now dominate the week’s discussions, which organisers had intended would focus on issues like preventing AIDS and ending trafficking.