Volume 8, Number 32

July 29, 2005

'Catholic' Aid Organization in Holland Supports Plan to Promote Abortion

    (NEW YORK - C-FAM) A prominent Dutch aid organization which touts itself as Catholic has endorsed the Dutch government's position that "reproductive rights" are essential to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing world poverty. According to a Catholic Dutch journalist, the organization also used its links to Holland's Bishops to convince the Bishops to participate in a public show of support for the Dutch approach by flying banners outside their cathedrals.

    Catholic journalist Jan Peeters identified Cordaid as a nominally Catholic organization that serves as an umbrella association for several aid organizations in Holland, including CARITAS, the Lenten Campaign, and Medical Mission Action. Cordaid, he said, also belongs to a group of nongovernmental organizations supporting the Dutch Platform of Millennium Development Goals.

    That platform outlines how Holland believes the MDGs, which aim to reduce poverty, increase development, and to further basic human rights such as education, security and health of people worldwide, should be implemented. The Dutch platform declares "[i]mprovement of sexual and reproductive health is fundamental for the realization of the Millennium Goals." The platform claims that opposition to such sexual rights "mainly stems from the United States and receives moral support from the Vatican. Especially the resistance against abortion and the promotion of the so-called ABC-method are a barrier to the improvement of sexual and reproductive health."

    Though Cordaid does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Catholic hierarchy, it is a historically Catholic organization and has ties to Holland's bishops. According to Peeters, Cordaid contacted the Bishops Conference office with the request to fly white banners of support of the Dutch government's promotion of the MDGs outside the seven cathedrals on July 1 in anticipation of the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The Bishops Conference office strongly recommended all dioceses to follow this request. The banners were approximately five yards long and prominently featured the website address of the Dutch platform for the Millennium Development Goals. Five of the bishops agreed to participate in this public support for the platform.

    An official with Cordaid said they do not support abortion rights but are "very much in favor of the rights of women with regard to sexual and reproductive health. . . . We are in favor of full education in the field of family planning, birth reduction and the combat of AIDS." When asked why they would support a document that supports abortion rights the official said "Participation in reaching these Millennium Development Goals is so crucial that we accept the fact that there may be elements in the statements with which we would deal differently in our practice."

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