The Massive Contradiction of the Convention for Persons with Disabilities
Source: UN DESA
The United Nations just hosted the 17th Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). First drafted in 2006, the treaty was designed as an initiative to promote the rights of disabled citizens and to help give them access to the care that they need to live happy and healthy lives.
Every representative of a nation and NGO said that they promote the rights of the disabled and stated that people with disabilities ought to be treated with dignity and respect. Some spoke about how they have updated their constitutions and civil rights laws to include more benefits for disabled people. Many of them highlighted the recent advancements in technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Others discussed how most of this technology is not available to the poor and those living in conflict zones such as Ukraine, Sudan, Israel, and Gaza.
However, some of the speeches subtly referenced “reproductive healthcare”. While the phrase might sound positive at first, or neutral at worst, it has a much darker meaning to it in the context of the United Nations. Under the umbrella of reproductive rights, is what many nations call “the right to an abortion”. Some nations that promoted “reproductive healthcare” in their CRPD speeches include Cuba, Guatemala, and Iceland. NGOs such as Women With Disabilities Australia promoted “reproductive healthcare”, as well.
It is quite ironic that a nation such as Iceland claims to believe that all people with disabilities ought to be treated with dignity and respect. Since the early 2000s, Iceland proudly shared that it has “eradicated” down syndrome, a genetic disease that affects people physically as well as mentally. Could it be that scientists in Iceland have found some sort of medicine or treatment that removes the extra chromosome 21 from babies? Unfortunately, that is not the case. The way that Iceland has “eradicated” down syndrome is by “eradicating” the babies who are suspected to have it. The Icelandic government promotes pregnancy screenings for women and after examining the screenings, the doctor can roughly calculate whether or not the baby will have down syndrome. In nearly one hundred percent of cases the mother will choose to undergo an abortion.
Iceland is not the only country that has adopted this practice. 98% of Danish, 90% of British, 77% of French, and 67% of American babies with a high likelihood of down syndrome are killed in the womb. Should it not be the case that those who have mental and or physical disabilities be given the resources that they need to reach his or her full potential? Does that not go against the very principles that the representatives of these nations and NGOs are promoting? While agreeing with the two points might seem paradoxical to most, many in the world of politics and business have been trying to promote this contradiction and unfortunately, they have been making progress in convincing others of its validity.
It is important to hold all private and public organizations accountable if they fail to promote the common good of all citizens. While I am sure that many of the initiatives that the United Nations and its member states have created to help the disabled, have helped millions, it is vital that the major flaws of these initiatives be exposed and corrected. The amount of disabled babies and babies in general killed in the womb is horrifying and is unacceptable. As J.R.R. Tolkien, the devout Catholic author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, once said,
“Evil is not able to create anything new, it has only the power to destroy.” This is true even if it means destroying human life.
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