Another World Congress of Families

The news about the family is bleak on the national political scene in Canada and will likely remain so as long as the autocratic Liberal government holds the reigns of power. Fortunately, this is not the case on the international scene.

After the colossal success of the World Congress of Families held in Geneva in November 1999, a decision has been made to keep the positive momentum going with another World Congress of Families, scheduled to take place in the year 2002.

The exact time and place has not yet been decided. However, the first planning meeting for this new World Congress is to take place in Managua, Nicaragua, this fall. The Planning Committee will be working closely with the Hon. Max. J. Padilla, Minister for the Family in the current Nicaraguan government, who was a speaker at the World Congress of Families in Geneva. REAL Women of Canada has been asked to serve on this Planning Committee as we did for the Geneva Conference.

The choice of Nicaragua for the first meeting is an outstanding one, as Nicaragua is a profoundly pro-life, pro-family nation. For example, the Nicaraguan government official declared March 25 as the "National Day of the Unborn."

The decree states that:

The right to life, inherent in each of the inhabitants of the nation and the world, is the principal axis of human rights and, therefore, merits the determined attention of the government.

This determined stance by the Nicaraguan government to protect life and family has led to the UN turning its massive guns on this small brave nation in an attempt to stamp out what it considers objectionable pro-life/family policies.

The United Nations Population Fund Agency (UNFPA), for example, recently announced its displeasure by withdrawing aid from Nicaragua for its failure to implement population control measures. Mr. Padilla and Fernanco Robleto, Minister of Education in the Nicaraguan government have the responsibility to administer these UN funds. They claim, however, that the UNFPA programs include "reproductive health" (abortion) provisions and they refused to apply the monies for these purposes. Instead, the two Cabinet Ministers applied the funds to assist women before and after childbirth.

The UN is angered as well that Nicaragua permits abortion only if the mother's life is at risk. UNFPA claims, unsupported by evidence, that this has resulted in women dying as a result of unwanted pregnancies the customary pro-abortion propaganda lie. Nicaragua remains proudly defiant, however, and is resisting the UN's attempt to blackmail it.

REAL Women is honoured to serve on the Planning Committee for the next World Congress of Families and that Nicaragua, a shining light of humanity and decency in the world, has been selected as the site for the first planning session.

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