Belgium is to host an international conference next month, to discuss plans to finance abortion, contraception and sex education in developing countries.

The gathering is in response to President Trump's reinstating of the Mexico City Policy [link to blog], which critics call the "global gag rule".

The modest step to prevent US aid money being used by agencies that promote abortion as a method of family planning has been met with outrage around the world. Dutch international development minister, Lilianne Ploumen, instantly set up plans for an "international safe abortion fund" to replace lost US funding. 

Now the Belgian government has announced that it will host the "She Decides" meeting on March 2. So far, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark have already committed a combined 30 million euros to the fund.

Cultural imperialism 

Pro-Life campaign group Culture of Life Africa welcomed the reinstating of the Mexico City Policy, calling foreign promotion of abortion in Africa, where it is mostly illegal, "a form of extreme interventionism" and "cultural imperialism". Spokeswoman Obianuju Ekeocha also pointed out that "humanitarian aid money given to abortion organisations is humanitarian aid money not used for real healthcare, education, nutrition and water." This contrasts with an article in the Guardian today, in which NGOs claimed that the withdrawal of funding for abortion will lead to more deaths in developing countries.

Pushing a pro-abortion agenda 

SPUC's international director, Maria Madise, said: "The panic which this very modest measure - a democratic leader deciding how his country's aid budget is spent - is revealing of how desperate abortion providers are to push their agenda on developing nations. It's clear from the topics that they see sex education and abortion as part of the same "reproductive rights" package. If the countries behind this fund really care about women, they should direct aid to improving maternal health and other areas that really benefit communities.

"Perhaps we should not be surprised that countries who place so little  value on their own children (Belgium has recently introduced child euthanasia, and the Groningen protocol in the Netherlands allows for infanticide) are so keen to push an agenda that undermines the value of life on developing countries."

News in Brief: 

School kids as young as 5 could get sex ed by the back door

A proposal to create a new national curriculum subject of "Relationships Education" could force primary schools and academies to teach sex education, with no right of withdrawal for parents.

The director of The Christian Institute, Colin Hart, has slammed the proposals, calling them "poorly drafted, dangerous and amoral."

http://www.christian.org.uk/news/school-kids-young-5-get-sex-ed-back-door/>

Rallies to be held against Planned Parenthood across the States tomorrow - and in London

On February 11, 2017, rallies will be held at Planned Parenthood locations throughout the United States to call on Congress and President Trump to strip Planned Parenthood of all federal funding and reallocate those funds to health centres that help disadvantaged women without destroying human life through abortion.

Family Life International are also hosting a procession ending at International Planned Parenthood's London office. Find out how to take part here.