Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune - May 12, 2002
After contentious negotiations between the United States and other nations on sex education, abortion and the death penalty, the 180 nations at the General Assembly special session on children approved a hard-fought blueprint Friday night. They then adopted the final summit document, "A World Fit For Children," by consensus with a round of applause.
Carol Bellamy, executive director of the UN Children's Fund, said the document focuses on four areas: promoting healthy lives; access to and completion of good education; protecting children against abuse, violence and exploitation; and fighting HIV and AIDS.
The final language on reproductive and sexual health reaffirmed commitments made by the nations at five UN conferences in the past eight years, which include ensuring that adolescents have the right to sex education as well as reproductive and sexual health services.
Conservatives in the United States contend that "reproductive health services" include abortion. U.S. officials had pressed for a footnote to the document specifically excluding abortion. This was not done, but the final agreement dropped any reference to "services."
The Child Rights Caucus, which represents more than 100 international non-profit organizations, called this agreement "weak."
The U.S. delegation had pushed the Bush administration's agenda against abortion and in favor of sexual abstinence before marriage and of the traditional family--a stand backed by the Vatican and Islamic countries.
The U.S. had pressed for the family to be defined as marriage between a husband and wife, because of conservative objections to homosexual marriages.
The document says, "The family is the basic unit of society and as such should be strengthened," but it preserves past language taking into account "that, in different cultural, social and political systems, various forms of the family exist."
020512
CT020505
Copyright © 2002 - Chicago Tribune. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Chicago Tribune, Permissions Desk, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 http://www.chicagotribune.com
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .