Tsunami – Triumphant Life and Imposed Death

Amid the shocking loss of life during the tsunami, news articles abound.  Two that appeared in the SPUC e-mail bulletin today show an ironic twist.

Story #1:  Amid tsunami death, there is life.

An Indonesian woman who survived five days afloat in the Indian Ocean after the tsunami was found to be still pregnant. Malawati, 20, whose husband is missing, was overjoyed when she was told that her unborn child was alive and well: “I am very glad, very happy”. Doctors were amazed that she and the child had managed to survive. [BBC, 6 January]

Story #2:  Amid tsunami death there is induced death.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) has requested $28million in its latest press report for aid to people affected by the tsunami.  Among other things, this money will be used to re-establish “basic reproductive health care services”. The UNPFA has not said directly that it will provide contraceptives or abortion aids, but according to the UNPFA’s “Reproductive Health in Emergency Situations” manual, it is normal procedure to distribute “Reproductive health kits” to victims of natural disasters. These kits contain condoms, abortion-inducing drugs such as the morning after pill and portable abortion kits. [C-Fam, 7 January] Pregnant women are among the priority groups to be helped in a $180 million, six-month UN World Food Programme aid initiative to help survivors of the 26 December Indian Ocean tidal wave. [Breaking News, 8 January]

How sad the instead of celebrating the lives of all the survivors, the “civilized” world sent tools to kill those whose lives are less important.

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You can read the full stories through the SPUC website and get a daily digest delivered to you via e-mail.

SPUC  news summary, 10 January 2005

SPUC stories are listed at www.spuc.org.uk/news with links to the original stories.   Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, 5-6 St Matthew Street, London, United Kingdom, SW1P 2JT, +44 20 7222 5845. The reliability of the news herein depends on that of the cited sources, which are paraphrased rather than quoted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society.

RARTL Updated October, 2004