NRL News
Page 4
September 2009
Volume 36
Issue 9

Dr. Wanda Franz Addresses World Congress of Families V

The National Right to Life Committee was represented at the World Congress of Families V held in Amsterdam in August. Individuals from more than 60 nations attended the Congress and approximately 3,000 people saw part of the live-stream feed of the speeches that ran simultaneously on the Internet.

The purpose of the Congress is to uphold the value of the family and the important role the family plays in protecting its members from conception to natural death. Dr. Wanda Franz, president of NRLC, spoke on the issue of cloning and stem cell research, describing both. She pointed out that the dehumanizing of our children at their earliest stage of development by turning them into objects and products for use in research undermines the very meaning of family.

Dr. Franz was part of a panel that included Byron Calhoun, M.D., who is professor and vice chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at West Virginia University in Charleston, West Virginia. He has been a speaker at the Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change at the NRLC Convention. There he talked about his idea of “Fetal Hospice,” which involves working with the family to aid the delivery of unborn babies diagnosed with life-threatening disabilities.

NRLC had a booth where we were able to distribute the excellent new brochure, in four languages, developed by NRLC’s representative to the United Nations, Jeanne Head, R.N. who is also NRLC Vice President for International Affairs, and Scott Fischbach, executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. The brochure is called “Does legalizing abortion protect women’s health? Assessing the argument for expanded abortion access around the globe.” You can find it on our web site at http://www.nrlc.org/UN/MMEnglsh.pdf.

Our materials on the Dutch euthanasia program were of special interest to the media who visited the booth. Unfortunately, The Netherlands has been in the forefront of using euthanasia as a “solution” for the elderly who request it, but also for many who do not, including the disabled and infants born with disabilities. We distributed information on polling done in The Netherlands that found that vast numbers of the elderly fear the possibility that they may not be offered care and cures in their old age, but only euthanasia. We believe that we were able to educate many of the local members of the media about the situation in their own country.

The poll showed that 50%-60% of those polled were afraid that their lives would be ended contrary to their own wills. Those living in nursing homes were especially concerned about euthanasia: 93% opposed active euthanasia  while 95% were against the government allowing euthanasia. Meanwhile, past polls have indicated that 81% of Dutch physicians have performed euthanasia during their careers.

It is clear that the elderly patients living in The Netherlands have a right to be afraid. We believe that we were able to educate many of the local member of the media about the situation in their own country.

Our staff, Rai Rojas, Hispanic Outreach coordinator, and Olivia Gans, director of American Victims of Abortions, have worked with Jeanne Head at the United Nations. They, along with Dr. Franz, were able to do many radio, print, and TV interviews. NRLC is an official non-governmental organization at the United Nations and our staff was kept busy at the booth using their expertise to answer the media questions as well as the concerns of the many attendees who stopped by the booth.

Many of the attendees were from third-world countries, where they find they are the objects of the aggressive abortion policies of International Planned Parenthood. They were happy to find practical information and assistance in talking with the NRLC staff.

They have been invited to attend the NRLC National Convention next year in Pittsburgh to help further their education in the issues and to learn the practical action that they can take to protect the pro-life policies in their countries. We hope that they will be able to come and we look forward to welcoming them to NRLC’s National Convention.