Choice cause for great concern for pro-lifers
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The 70th annual World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO), elected Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia as its new Director-General on 23 May. Elected on the third ballot, he will replace outgoing WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
Dr. Tedros, as he is commonly referred to, spearheaded a two-year global campaign for the position, enlisting the assistance of paid public relations consultants, a robust social media presence, and the unwavering support of the African Union nations. Despite the confidentiality of the voting process for WHO Director General, most nations made their endorsement of one of the three candidates in the race abundantly clear. Each member nation is permitted to cast one vote in the election, and Dr. Tedros had a substantial lead over his two competitors. On the third ballot, Dr. Tedros was elected outright.
The election of Dr. Tedros has prompted significant concern among pro-life advocates. As the Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues observed, a letter signed by 122 pro-abortion NGOs, including IPPF, Marie Stopes International, Ipas, and “Catholics” for Choice, congratulates Tedros, who is known to support the sexual and reproductive health agenda, on his appointment as the incoming Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). The letter urges him to “fully support, pursue, and defend a comprehensive approach to women’s health,” which should “account for the full spectrum of women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health issues, needs, and rights.”
Dr. Tedros has a long personal history of supporting and legalizing abortion in his native Ethiopia. Other reasons for concern include Dr. Tedros’ advocacy of a “rights-based” approach to health care and his determination to implement United Nations development goals which call for sexual and “reproductive health and rights,” code words for abortion.
While serving as Minister of Health in Ethiopia, Dr. Tedros served as the “patron” of an International Planned Parenthood Federation conference which presented an extensive agenda of sexual and reproductive rights, including legalized abortion. The conference, held in Addis Ababa in 2010, was led by various pro-abortion groups, including the Center for Reproductive Rights.
In response to a query from Women Deliver, an abortion advocacy network affiliated with the UN, concerning the significance of sexual and reproductive health and rights, Dr. Tedros stated, “The WHO must collaborate with governments and regional organizations—in close coordination with civil society, the private sector, other UN agencies, donors, and other key stakeholders—to advance the global sexual and reproductive health and rights agenda.”
Dr. Tedros will assume the role of Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 1, 2023, and will serve a five-year term.