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View all search resultsIndonesia criticized for signing anti-abortion convention
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coalition of Indonesian women rights groups have lambasted the government for signing an anti-abortion convention rolled out by the United States, saying the government cosponsored it without proper public consultation.
The coalition deemed the signing of the convention unconstitutional and harmful to the sexual and reproductive health of Indonesian women because it might lead to more unsafe abortion practices and subsequently, more maternal deaths.
Indonesia is among 32 countries that have signed the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family during a virtual ceremony cohosted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar on Oct. 22.
Indonesia is a cosponsor of the declaration alongside Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Uganda and the US. Indonesia's decision to support the convention comes amid the country's long-standing debate between conservative groups that campaign for "family resilience" and women's rights groups that campaign for gender equality. It was also signed days before Pompeo visited Indonesia.
A coalition of 31 organizations and 25 individuals has issued a statement urging that the Foreign Ministry revoke Indonesia's signing, saying the declaration had only been counterproductive to Indonesia's decades of efforts in improving women's access to health care, by clearly excluding women's sexual and reproductive health services and rights.
"The declaration is not only unconstitutional based on prevailing laws in Indonesia, but is also not in line with the Indonesian government's aim to achieve the SDGs [sustainable development goals]. The declaration is especially dangerous for Indonesian women and families' sexual and reproductive health," the coalition said in a statement published on samsaranews.com. Samsara is one of the signatories of the statement.
The Geneva Consensus Declaration emphasizes that "in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning" and that abortion is not included as part of the improvement and security of access to health and development gains for women.
