EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans are pressing the World Health Organization to reject a proposal by an abortion-rights group to enter into relations, arguing such a move would undermine trust in international cooperation.
The group, led by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), sent a letter to the WHO executive board Thursday morning opposing the agency’s recent decision to work with the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is set for a final vote next month. The lawmakers urged the board to reject the group’s application to enter into relations, accusing the CRR of attempting to “impose abortion on all countries.”
The Republicans alluded to “numerous examples” in which the CRR has “colluded” with United Nations staff and agencies to influence abortion-rights laws in several countries. This, the lawmakers argued, is part of a broader plan by the group to “undermin[e] sovereignty and [bypass] all democratic processes.”
“The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) is a radical organization that manipulates international mechanisms to impose abortion on countries,” the letter, which is signed by Biggs and 25 other House Republicans, said. “Even though there is no internationally recognized human rights obligation with regard to abortion either by treaty or customary international law, CRR claims that such an obligation exists.”
The GOP lawmakers warned the WHO is already at risk of not being trusted by a large group of people because of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing multiple pieces of legislation proposed by Republican lawmakers to scale back U.S. support for the WHO.
The group also cited data indicating low support among the public to use “foreign assistance funds to perform or lobby for abortion,” according to the letter. The lawmakers pointed to an annual Marist poll that shows roughly 64% of the public supporting legislation that would prohibit using funds for that purpose.
“When international mechanisms are manipulated to promote abortion, it undermines trust in international cooperation and goodwill towards international institutions,” the letter said. “As members of Congress, we will look upon a decision to give special status to the Center for Reproductive Rights as evidence that the WHO is unreformable and as a further argument to withhold all funding to the organization.”
The letter comes less than three weeks before the WHO is set to convene the 155th session of the executive board on June 2, during which the proposal to enter into relations with the CRR will be under consideration. The CRR pushed back on the letter, arguing its work “promotes access to health care for people around the world.”
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“States have established a process for Non-State Actors to engage with the WHO, and the Center’s application is currently under consideration,” Rebecca Brown, vice president of global advocacy at the CRR, told the Washington Examiner. “We have every confidence in the ongoing process.”
The Washington Examiner also contacted spokespeople for the WHO but has not received a response.
