UN Torture Committee Questions Holy See on Abortion and Birth Control
Committee Suggests Sex Abuse Cases are Church-Sanctioned Torture Methods
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014 /
Christian Newswire/ -- The UN Committee on Torture is grilling the Vatican today and tomorrow in Geneva. The Committee is expected to question the Vatican on abortion, contraception and the sexual abuse of minors, none of which are within the UN Convention Against Torture.
What: Media availability of C-Fam experts with in-depth knowledge of UN treaty-monitoring bodies and how the Member State review panels work; commentary and analysis of the Torture committee's questions and the Vatican's response.
When: Vatican representatives appear today and tomorrow before the UN Committee on Torture in Geneva. C-Fam experts will be monitoring both sessions and are available for comment.
Who: Austin Ruse, President of C-Fam, said, "Torture is very real in the world today. But this rampant problem is denigrated when this committee compares abortion restrictions with torture."
Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Research, said, "No one really believes the Catholic Church tortures women by its teaching on contraception. The committee harms its reputation--and the importance of human rights-- by making such suggestions."
Stefano Gennarini, J.D., Director of Legal Studies, "I have followed UN treaty body reform for years and this is precisely the kind of overreach UN member states are concerned about."
C-Fam is a New York and Washington DC-based research institute that has worked on UN legal and social policy issues in New York for 16 years. C-Fam holds Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council.
