The United States on Thursday joined other foreign countries in signing an anti-abortion declaration. The non-binding pact says it will work to improve women's health, preserve human life and strengthen the family unit.
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo with Secretary Alex Azar II attended the virtual signing of the "Geneva Consensus Declaration." Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda are co-sponsors of the declaration.
"We, the representatives of our sovereign nations do hereby declare in mutual friendship and respect, our commitment to work together to: Reaffirm that there is no international right to abortion," the declaration read.
Azar claimed during the ceremony that this is a "historic document stating clearly where we as nations stand on women’s health, the family, honoring life, and defending national sovereignty."
He added that it is "much more than a statement of beliefs; it is a critical and useful tool to defend these principles across all United Nations bodies and at every multilateral setting using language previously agreed to by member-states of those bodies."
"Under President Trump's leadership, the United States has defended the dignity of human life everywhere and always," Pompeo said at the signing. "We've also mounted an unprecedented defense of the unborn abroad."
Abortion has been a pressing topic across the United States following the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Democrats have pushed against her nomination so close to Election Day, and questioned her stance on abortion and whether or not she would overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling.
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement when he learned of the Geneva Consensus Declaration claiming it was dangerous and would "undercut the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and strip the fundamental rights of millions, especially women."
"The Geneva Consensus Declaration attempts to undermine bedrock human rights agreements and women’s health and reproductive rights here at home and around the world," Cardin said.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network condemned the pact claiming that it is a "farcical Trump-led document with no legal basis," and signed by "reproductive bullies" and "regressive governments from around the world."
The only other European country to sign the declaration besides Belarus and Hungary was Poland, which just passed a law prohibiting abortions even if the fetus has a congenital defect.
Activists deplored the decision, and the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner wrote on Twitter that it was a “sad day for women’s rights.”
View the full declaration below: