33 Countries Declare 'No International Right to Abortion'

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and HHS Secretary Alex Azar participated in the virtual signing of the Geneva Consensus Declaration which further strengthens the coalition to achieve these four pillars:

1. Better health for women,
2. The preservation of human life,
3. Strengthening of family as the foundational unit of society, and
4. Protecting every nation's national sovereignty in global politics.

The Geneva Consensus Declaration comes a year after the Trump administration chastised the United Nations for “undermining the role of the family” by promoting abortion and urged it to remove pro-abortion language from some of its documents. Earlier this year, the administration reprimanded the U.N. again for promoting abortion as part of the global response to the Coronavirus. Secretary Pompeo said, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States has defended the dignity of human life everywhere and always. He’s done it like no other President in history. We’ve also mounted an unprecedented defense of the unborn abroad. … Today, we’re taking the next step, as we sign the Geneva Consensus Declaration. At its very core, the Declaration protects women’s health, defends the unborn, and reiterates the vital importance of the family as the foundation of society.” The signers of the declaration agree to “reaffirm the inherent dignity and worth of the human person,” that “every human being has the inherent right to life,” and that “in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning.”

Other highlights of the declaration include:

• “There is no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation on the part of States to finance or facilitate abortion;”
• “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State;”
• “Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance;”
• “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “We are grateful for the efforts of the Trump administration to continually reaffirm that every human being, born and unborn, has the inherent right to life and that the family is the foundation of our society.”