Susan Roylance: Families around the world: 42 million babies

Berlin's Global NGO Forum ended Friday with a news conference that opened the door to ask what some relevant — but as-yet-unanswered — questions.But first we heard the Berlin Call to Action, a plan organizers say is "fundamental to achieving equality and equity, human rights and social and economic development."Then I got to ask my questions.Question: —How can this Call to Action be representative of all NGOs (non-governmental organizations) of the world, when conservative or pro-life, organizations were not allowed to participate and media representatives from conservative magazines and newspapers were not accredited?Answer:—Gill Greer, chair of the forum and a representative of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said forum organizes said their "target audience" were those who were "fully committed to the ICPD Programme of Action."—Greer also said they wanted media representatives who would specifically "advance these issues of women's health and women's rights."I should note that most of the other media representatives I met at the forum had been specifically invited and the forum paid their expenses.Question: —Why, when the original ICPD Programme of Action states that "in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning," does today's Call to Action not have that exclusion — and lists abortion as a human right?Answer:—Greer said a woman dies every minute because of pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes and that 30 percent of those deaths are due to unsafe abortions. "I don't believe anyone wants to see young women die needlessly," said Greer.Question:—Why is this forum addressing sexual orientation changing, when background papers for this forum stated that sexual orientation is not currently included in any U.N. conference documents or international treaties. In fact, country negotiators of international treaties and U.N. documents have consistently resisted the inclusion of those words.Answer:—Katie Chau, representing the Youth Coalition, said that it was the view of everyone at this conference that human rights are universal and about all people, "including people of different sexual orientations. Any person who walks into a clinic deserves the right of access and the highest standard of health."But here's the bottom line: Some 42 million babies die each year because their mothers choose to end their lives rather than carry them through to a healthy birth. It's a sad state of affairs when we totally ignore that side of the equation.