US Draws Jeers for Abortion Comments at UN

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=6&u=/nm/20050304/pl_nm/un_women_dc

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Jeers and catcalls greeted the top U.S. delegate to a global women's conference on Friday as she stressed Washington's opposition to abortion and support for sexual abstinence and fidelity.

<snip>
However, top U.S. delegate Ellen Sauerbrey drew boos from the audience, which included some of the 6,000 activists who came from around the world, when she commented on Washington's interpretation of the document.


"We have stated clearly and on many occasions ... that we do not recognize abortion as a method of family planning, nor do we support abortion in our reproductive health assistance," Sauerbrey said.


The loudest catcalls, unusual at the world body, came when she articulated U.S. policy on AIDS (news - web sites) prevention for adolescents: "We emphasize the value of the ABC -- abstinence, be faithful, and correct and consistent condom use where appropriate -- approach in comprehensive strategies to combat the spread of HIV (news - web sites)/AIDS and the promotion of abstinence as the healthiest and most responsible choice for adolescents."

[Anakin Skywalker]

2. Hubris Deserve Jeers.

Arrogant high-horse fundy Admin. WTF do the fundies in the Shrub admin really know about the conditions in the Third World?

[Warpy]

4. Right, and do they know the alternative to birth control and abortion

in the third world is infanticide? Do they have any fucking clue in the world that the most common cause of death for young women in countries where abortion is illegal is illegal abortion?

Karmic retribution for these smugly ignorant assholes is going to be rough.

[Griffy]

32. Yes.. WAR is their population control NT

[Worst Username Ever]

3. Ignorance getting Jeers. Who'da thunk it.

[DebbieCDC]

5. Ellen Sourgrapes

That's what our "delegate" is called back in Maryland where twice she was defeated for governor and went to court to try to get the election overturned (sounds just like Rossi in Washington state). All from the GOP playbook. What a fine example of our country.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

18. yup yup yup

That was precisely my reaction. I didn't realize she'd been paid off with a delegate gig.

[lanlady]

23. oh, that's where I know the name

I knew her name struck a bell (I'm in No. VA). Jeez, she's still around, how lucky for you Marylanders.

[Catt03]

31. I think we should ask all these fundie women like Sourgrapes

to take public oaths that they will use abstinence only, faith and fidelity and no use of condoms. Have the integrity to live by the words you preach to other women.

And their spouses too.

[Kimber Scott]

6. Be faithful? To your partner, or your God, or both? Glad to have this

woman telling me how to behave, otherwise, I'd be a raging whore thirsting for an abortion at every turn and getting AIDs from every passer-by.

Right.

[Up2Late]

7. USA, USA, USA Boooooooooooooo!

This is my favorite

"...Despite U.S. lobbying, public support for Washington's abortion stance was initially limited to the Vatican delegate; delegates from the European Union, Asia and elsewhere forcefully opposed it..."

[CurtEastPoint]

8. All I can think of is "You stupid c**t."

[NYC Liberal]

9. So this is where we are after just four years of this dickhead "president"

being booed and catcalled at the U.N. Glad to know we've gained so much respect. :eyes:

[smirkymonkey]

24. I don't think we will survive another four.

It's almost too horrible to contemplate.

[drdtroit]

34. Yeah remember,

these are the "adults' that we have in office.
It's hard to imagine a higher level of ignorance and incompetence than we have been subjected to!

[Erika]

10. Bush is an idiot

Does anyone think that he can promote sexual abstinence and faithfulness to marriage to Arab countries who have multiple wives or to African nations who believe raping a virgin will relieve you of AIDS?

How many days until this idiot is out of office?

[DearAbby]

11. Gawd these people are speaking for us? We believe in the ABCs

:crazy::crazy::crazy:s

[Bouncy Ball]

12. Too bad no one with more than three brain cells to rub together

can get close enough to bushco and their stupidity to jeer them in person.

[Niccolo_Macchiavelli]

13. sometimes i think

what kind of drugs do the US-officials do?

[0007]

16. That's the problemo - They should be smoking some of that

BC Bud.

[CBHagman]

14. Yeah, and the Bush twins epitomize chastity.

I can only be force-fed so much self-righteousness and hubris in one day.

From the article:

"The current U.N. session is meant to assess how far women have come toward equality since the 1995 Beijing conference and a follow-up meeting five years ago."

Gee, we've REALLY GOTTEN FAR, haven't we? In Afghanistan these days, instead of the Taliban keeping one confined to the house, a rival ethnic group comes to gang-rape all the females. The Saudis still don't let "their women" drive. And we've got George W. Bush talking about OB/GYNs being unable to "practice their love" with women around the country.

Anyone want to join me in a scream?

By the way, the mention of Ellen Sauerbrey made me realize I hadn't thought of her for even a second since her failed race for governor (in the lovely "Sue your way to public office" era). As Jimmy Stewart said to Alfalfa Schweitzer in "It's a Wonderful Life," Ellen, why don't you stop annoying people?

[PA Democrat]

15. The UN is fed up with Bush's attempt to shove fundamental Christian

extremism down their throats. From the Nation magazine:

<snip>

The Administration finally attracted widespread outrage when at the UN Special Session on Children, held in New York in May 2002, the Tommy Thompson-led US delegation made a grimly ironic alliance with Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan and Iraq in the midst of Bush's "with us or against us" declaration of war on Islamic fundamentalists. Together, joined by the Vatican, these culture warriors fought to purge the world of comprehensive sex education for adolescents, restrict STD-prevention and contraceptive information to heterosexual married couples, and redefine "reproductive health services" to exclude legal abortion.

Most of the 3,000 activists and diplomats in attendance came to New York intending to negotiate broader definitions and commit more services to young people, who are becoming infected with HIV at the rate of five per minute, according to the UN. Instead, they had to fight tooth and nail just to hang on to language already on the books. "The United States really hijacked the whole session," says Françoise Girard of the International Women's Health Coalition. Example: During discussion of a section referring to children in postconflict situations, Washington harped on the word "services" because it might imply emergency contraception or abortion. "Nobody could understand why the United States would oppose language that was basically saying, 'When there are children who have been victims of violence and trauma in war, we need to provide them with services,'" says Zonny Woods of Action Canada for Population and Development. "But because among those victims of violence there might be girls who were victims of rape, who might be offered emergency contraception or an abortion, they were willing to throw away the whole concept of 'services.' It was just insane."

The US delegation succeeded in watering down the agreement, removing a paragraph on adolescent sexuality education and also some references to reproductive health services. And it blocked consensus on opposing capital punishment for adolescents, a detail that got lost in the media focus on the US obsession with abortion and abstinence.

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg last September, it was, as they say, déjà vu all over again. The United States, again in the dugout with the Holy See and a number of Islamic countries, deadlocked negotiations until the eleventh hour, opposing a litany of items, including language that would characterize female genital mutilation, forced child marriage and honor killings as human rights violations. "In the end, at 1 in the morning, they agreed to language that was almost identical to what they'd been fighting the whole time," says June Zeitlin, executive director of the Women's Environment and Development Organization. "We got what we wanted. But the United States succeeded in stalling the conference and in alienating a lot of countries."



http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030203&s=block

[tlcandie]

25. Tell me again...

HOW are we different than the very countries we are invading to free them and bring democracy?

From your link...
<Snip>
At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg last September, it was, as they say, déjà vu all over again. The United States, again in the dugout with the Holy See and a number of Islamic countries, deadlocked negotiations until the eleventh hour, opposing a litany of items, including language that would characterize female genital mutilation, forced child marriage and honor killings as human rights violations.
<snip>

[athenap]

27. FGM...Honor Killings Okay...but the pill not?

Jeebus H.... well. What kind of sick idiots are in charge here. Never mind. I want my country back. I want sanity back. I want these freaks to stop embarrassing us in front of the world, NOW! Rest of the world--help! America is in trouble and we obviously can't do it ourselves. Bring democracy to us...please?

So...can we classify a girl wanting to have an abortion as an "honor killing" and it would be okay, then?

[NVMojo]

17. these dipshits in the Bush kingdom has made the USA the clown

at the ball. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them.

[NNN0LHI]

19. US abortion comments draw jeers at UN

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5580209

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Jeers and catcalls have greeted the top U.S. delegate to a global women's conference as she stressed Washington's opposition to abortion and support for sexual abstinence and fidelity.

After withdrawing an unpopular anti-abortion amendment from a key U.N. document, the United States joined in approving the declaration that reaffirmed a 150-page platform agreed 10 years ago at a landmark U.N. women's conference in Beijing.

The final approval on Friday prompted cheers, applause and a standing ovation by some participants.

However, top U.S. delegate Ellen Sauerbrey drew boos from the audience, which included some of the 6,000 activists who came from around the world, when she commented on Washington's interpretation of the document.

more

[parsifal_e]

kick

[Frances]

Is this the same Ellen Sauerbrey who ran against

Paris Glendening for governor of Maryland?

[gardenista]

Oh no, not her again!?

She taints the reputations of good, DEMOCRATIC Maryland women, now on an international scale!

Well, I guess Barbara Mikulski makes up for it.

[hezekkia]

yes, one and the same

[LisaLynne]

20. This administration needs ...

to come face to face with reality and this is a small step in the right direction.

[JohnnyRingo]

1. Or more likely:

Declare that the world is "out of step with the U.S." and ridicule the lot of them.

Judging from past practice.

[scarletlib]

21. Well deserved jeers

At least the rest of the world had the sense to knock this crap down.

Hint to bushco: You can't stop the whole world from being progressive and moving onward and forward instead of backwards.

We as a nation are the losers in all of this.

[R Hickey]

22. The White House should have sent Jeff Gannon for this job.

Their man Gannon was the 'diplomat' Bush should have sent to speak to the UN. Jeff Gannon's websites have proven that he knows about these sexual matters, and that he has the knowledge and sensitivity to speak with authority on such AIDS-related topics.

[dbt]

26. The whole fucking WORLD laughs at us.

We are a joke, armed to our rotting teeth with Nukes and just spoilin' for a fight with any country what has the effrontery not to be a White Chri$tian Nation.


PS: Under God!!!!

[lonestarnot]

28. PUKE PUKE PUKE

:puke:

[Benhurst]

29. What's wrong with those delegates? Jeers? Catcalls? Haven't

they heard of rotten tomatoes?

[area51]

30. condom use?

Nazi Ellen Sauerbrey said:

"We emphasize the value of the ABC -- abstinence, be faithful, and correct and consistent condom use where appropriate -- approach in comprehensive strategies to combat the spread of HIV...."

Since when does this nazi administration promote condom use?

---

"Prosperity is just around the corner." -- Herbert Hoover
"The economy has turned a corner." -- GW Bush

Herbert Hoover = GW Bush

Neither man cared about the Depression their economic policies created.

[Catt03]

33. Hmmmmm

Maybe they have added condom use for others in the world but not US citizens.