Dear Editor,
While many people will remember the role of the late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as a champion in the struggle for democracy in Pakistan, she should also be remembered as an international advocate for women and children, be they born or unborn.

As a pro-life feminist, Mrs Bhutto constantly urged world leaders to address urgent health issues, including increased nutrition and immunisations. She also argued for the protection of women from domestic violence and war. While many developed countries seek to promote abortion as a means of population control in the developing world (and often seek to link abortion to foreign aid), Bhutto's focus was on women-centered solutions and she was opposed to the promotion of abortion in developing countries.

Mrs Bhutto called the common practice of gender selected abortions 'tragic' and said it 'still haunts a world we regard as modern and civilised'. In her address to the UN Fourth World Conference held in Beijing, China, she explained: 'To please her husband, a woman wants a son. To keep her husband from abandoning her, a woman wants a son. And, too often, when a woman expects a girl, she abets her husband in abandoning or aborting that innocent, perfectly formed child. As we gather here today, the cries of the girl child reach out to us.'

While only time will tell of the impact of her assassination on the future of her country, one thing is certainly clear: born and unborn women and children of the world and in particular Asia have lost a powerful champion.

Yours faithfully,

Michelle Nanasi,
Derrydonnell North,
Oranmore,
Co. Galway

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment