New Delhi (AsiaNews) – Every year, 13 million abortions take place in India; at least 80 million women die from the operation; there is also the scourge of selective abortion, which has resulted in the elimination of at least 10 million female foetus’ in the last 20 years.  What’s more India has one of the most permissive law’s regarding abortion and still today abortion is advertised as a method of birth control and a means of guaranteeing greater economic development in families.

“It is ridiculous and absurd to suggest that abortion is a solution to hunger, in order to control population growth.  What’s more the concept  - typical of UN organisations – that overpopulation represents the greatest danger to the health of a nation has no basis at all in reality….. In reality the world should urgently look at socio-economic and political issues to eliminate hunger, poverty, misery among people”.

For all of these reasons, Lenin Raghavarshi, atheist, communist, human rights activist, tells AsiaNews that he is in favour of the moratorium on abortion: “At the basis of all human rights is the right to live”.

37 year-old Lenin Raghavarshi, originally from  Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) is president of the People's Vigilance Committee On Human Rights, Pvchr . He campaigns against the cast system and for the rights of Dahlits.  His organisation is also committed to the fight against torture and child labour, which verges on slavery in India.  Not long ago he denounced the plight of 3500 children who worked in chains.  For his wide ranging commitment he was awarded the Korean Gwangju prize for Human Rights.

 “Malthus – Raghavarshi explains -  promoted the theory that the main problems of the world like poverty and other such inhuman situations of the marginalized are due to population, but this is completely unscientific idea and false theory.…. the multinational companies- who thrive on the industry of population control, push the agenda of population control through false propaganda- want to market and promote their products, because their sole aim is profit. It is these multinational who are degrading the dignity of the human person by creating hunger and poverty in the world”.

“In India, we have a grave social evil of sex selective abortion, and I vehemently oppose and totally denounce this sex selective abortions.  This is very alarming in India and China, and killing of the girl child is extremely dangerous for society giving rise to serious sex imbalances which will be dangerous even for the future of the nations. We need to advocate the Right to life of the embryo in the womb itself”.

“In India, abortions are one of the highest contributors to maternal mortality rates”. All of this pushes UN agencies and groups to lobby in favour of population control, such as the International Family Planning Association, active in spreading the use of  emergency “means of contraception”.

Raghavarshi clarifies that the death of these mothers “are largely due to the failure in evolving a broad-based family welfare programme as a part of the primary health care system  …. Defending the Right to Life is sacred  will then lead to the defence of the right to basic food, education and health care”.

“The most important fact is that the international community should realize that 20% of the world that is the G7 people are using 80% of the resources of the world and this is the biggest problem.  The international community and individual governments have to be committed to strengthen their political will to eliminate hunger and poverty in the world, and enhancing the dignity of the human person through education and healthcare for the most marginalized section of society.”.