48 pro-life organisations across Latin America have signed a letter to President Donald Trump, thanking him for his administration’s support in defending the right to life at an international level. The letter read: "We commend your efforts and those of Vice-President Pence and Secretary Pompeo, to protect Latin American state sovereignty over our pro-life laws."
The letter was signed by 49 pro-life leaders representing organisations in 16 countries including Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Spain.
The letter thanked President Trump for his recent address at the 2020 Washington March for Life, and commended his administration for recent proposals aiming to recapture the culture of life in the United States.
Many countries across Latin America are currently fighting to defend their pro-life laws which prohibit abortion.
President Trump’s efforts to defend unborn children at both a domestic and international level were also commended within the letter. His administration recently denounced the language used by international bodies such as the Organisation of the American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN).
"Sexual and reproductive health" is the misleading language frequently used by pro-abortion bodies to refer to abortion.
The letter read: "The administration’s withdrawal of U.S. funds from the Organisation of American States (OAS) for abortion advocacy…was a long-awaited step that gives enormous support to our fight against the imposition of the abortion agenda on our countries. Secretary Pompeo’s strong stance against OAS pressure to overturn our national pro-life laws has been unprecedented and greatly welcomed by our countries."
The Fight For Life In Latin America
Branches of the OAS, such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), have in recent years supported attempts to pressure governments in Latin America into legalising the killing of unborn children through abortion.
Carlos Polo, Director of the Population Research Institute in Latin America and one of the pro-life leaders who signed the letter to President Trump said: "In recent decades, the OAS has been infiltrated by pro-abortion activism… The Commission and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights are made up of a pro-abortion majority that is determined to reinterpret article 4 of the American Convention on Human Rights which protects life from conception."
In 2017, the IACHC applauded the government of Chile for legalizing abortion in certain circumstances, and in 2018 criticised the governments of Chile, Argentine and Hondouras for upholding pro-life values in law.
Mr Polo added: "For decades, organizations like IPPF, Marie Stopes, Pathfinder and many other pro-abortion NGOs have been working to change pro-life laws in Latin America and these organisations have long been funded by American taxpayer. But today, we see Donald Trump is reversing the economic and political support that Democrat presidents like Barack Obama have given to the abortion industry."