| TITLE : EU and population policy |
TEXT : Question no 86 by Dana Rosemary Scallon (H-0670/02)
Subject: EU and population policy
The EU Commission has defined the term 'reproductive health' as including abortion. The term 'sexual health and rights' has never been defined and can include paedophilia for example. The EU has no competency on the matter of abortion.
Abortion is against the Constitution of Ireland.
How can the Commission justify that Irish taxpayers' money may be used to fund abortion in the EU or developing countries, for example in the context of the currently negotiated regulation 'on aid for policies and actions on reproductive and sexual health and rights in developing countries'?
Answer
The term 'reproductive health' was defined by the United Nations (UN) in 1994 at the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development. All Member States of the Union endorsed the Programme of Action adopted at Cairo. The Union has never adopted an alternative definition of 'reproductive health' to that given in the Programme of Action, which
makes no reference to abortion.
The concept has since been expanded to 'reproductive health and sexual health and rights', which embrace certain rights that are already recognised in international human rights documents. They include the rights of couples and individuals to:
decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children, to have the information and means to do so, and to attain the highest level of sexual and reproductive health.
The issue of paedophilia has never been the subject of discussion in international fora on reproductive health and sexual
health and rights. However, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which all Member States are parties, clearly
states that all children have the right to be protected from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
The Commission proposal for a Regulation on aid for policies and actions on reproductive and sexual health and rights in
developing countries will provide the legal basis for the funding of activities that are aimed at reducing the very high death
rates of women in developing countries during pregnancy and childbirth. The text of the Regulation is still under
discussion. However, that in line with present policies, it will not provide incentives to encourage sterilisation or abortion
in developing countries. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies must always be given the highest priority.
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