Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan

The late Benazir Bhutto was not only the first female prime minister of Pakistan, but also the first female leader of any Muslim state. She was dedicated to women’s rights for both the born and unborn.

At the United Nations Cairo Conference in 1994, Bhutto said:

“I dream of a Pakistan, of an Asia, of a world, where we can commit our social resources to the development of human life and not to its destruction. That dream is far from the reality we endure.”

She also added:
“The traditional family is the basic unit on which any society rests. It is the anchor on which the individual relies as he embarks upon the Journey of Life.”

Speaking at the Fourth World Conference on Women, Prime Minsiter Bhutto recognized the challenges facing unborn females and vowed to fight for their right to life.

“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. This conference needs to chart a course that can create a climate where the girl child is as welcomed and valued as a boy child, that the girl child is considered as worthy as a boy child.”

Benazir Bhutto worked tirelessly for the dignity of women – mothers and their unborn children. Her work led to her assassination in December of 2007. Her voice is deeply missed, but her work will forever stand as a testament to the value of life.