Relations Severed with Amnesty International

Due to the decision of Amnesty International to support abortion as a putative means to curb violence against women, the Texas Catholic Conference has issued the following directive:

We, the Bishops of Texas are instructing all parish and diocesan staff and other Catholic organizations to no longer support financially nor through publicity, nor participate in joint projects or events sponsored by the organization known as Amnesty International. This instruction is based on Amnesty International’s decision to limit its human rights agenda by promoting abortion as a way to curb violence against women, especially women in developing countries. In promoting abortion, Amnesty divides its own members, many of whom are Catholics, and others who defend the rights of unborn children and jeopardizes its support by people in many nations, cultures and religions who share a consistent commitment to all human rights. Our assessment is that Amnesty International is now violating its original mission to protect human rights worldwide and has lost its moral credibility.

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Having held Amnesty International in esteem since since the days of my young adulthood, it is a terrible disappointment to learn of the shortsightedness of their decision.  Indeed Amnesty has lost all credibility as an organization that stands for human rights.

Furthermore, their decision serves to indicate how a blatantly anti-human point of view can become accepted within society as somehow intended to protect women against violence.  Clearly there must exist a more honest and straightforward means of condemning violence against women than promoting it against the unborn.  We must stand ardently against all forms of violence and against every injustice that makes violence possible.  In this case, with profound irony, we must stand against Amnesty International.

Comments

[JustMe]

Kate Gilmore of Amnesty International insists AI is not making a statement on abortion as a moral right or wrong, nor is it pushing for the right of choice, but that in these times when rape is a daily weapon, women and girls need some option..

What they need is help. As you say, AI is shortsighted and is indeed allowing violence against the invisible to replace violence against seen people.

It's good to know that the Church is taking a pro-life stance, but again, unless some action is indeed relieving the plight of these poor victims, we are mostly clucking our tongues and wishing them a better life. May (all) the Church take it all a step further and call for a complete withdrawal from the mideast where we are picking our and everyone else's noses quite illegally and unsensibly all these years; maybe we could rather be (and would rather be) sent into areas where an armed force surge may truly stop systematic and devastating human rights abuses.

[Pia]

Wow....and Wow.

What else can I say?

[Gabrielle]

I read this days and days ago, then got caught up in the link, then found my way to Mia Farrow's website, etc., etc., and forgot to leave a comment. I am completely overwhelmed by the work she is doing in Darfur.