Kevin G, if nothing else, read the last paragraph. Thanks.

UNFPA Loses Funding Appropriated by Congress in 2003

UNFPA Loses Funding Appropriated by Congress in 2003

July 16, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC — The State Department announced today that it is withholding its annual contribution to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. This is the third year in a row that the administration has refused to fund UNFPA.

"This decision is clearly based on politics, not on public health," said Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). "Make no mistake: this administration will always choose anti-family planning extremism over women's health programs here and around the world."

The decision comes as the United States was under fire this week at the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Public health experts and AIDS activists criticized the United States for promoting abstinence as the best method of preventing AIDS, when a comprehensive approach has been shown to be more effective.

The State Department claimed to find UNFPA in violation of the Kemp-Kasten anti-coercion law. However, multiple investigations - including one by a Bush-appointed team - have shown that claim to be untrue. "Everyone needs information about how to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and HIV/AIDS," said Feldt. "But by cutting off funding for UNPFA, emphasizing 'ignorance-only' prevention programs, and placing severe restrictions on family planning funding, this administration keeps women from getting the information and services they need to make healthy choices."

This is the third time the Bush administration has decided to withhold funding from UNFPA. Experts estimate that the $34 million appropriated for UNFPA this year could prevent two million unintended pregnancies, 800,000 induced abortions, 4,700 maternal deaths, and 77,000 infant and child deaths annually.