Groups Plan Attack on Amnesty Proposal

[cal04]

Famed for its human rights work, Amnesty International is under siege from religious groups outraged by a proposal that would expand Amnesty's mandate to include supporting access to abortion in cases such as sexual violence.

A small but growing band of anti-abortion campaigners and Roman Catholic clerics - including some who have backed Amnesty's activities in the past - claim the Nobel Prize-winning group is drifting away from its principles of unbiased advocacy.

They have threatened to pull away members and donations, and have called for a flood of protest letters to Amnesty offices - the same strategy Amnesty uses to pressure for the release of political prisoners and others.

Amnesty officials note that any decision is still more than a year away at the earliest, and defend their right to debate abortion and birth control within the context of women's rights.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5971410,00.html