Support for Family Planning Funding for the United Nations Population Fund

URGENT ACTION: Support Needed for Family Planning Funding for the United Nations Population Fund. Call or Email President Bush Today! Ask him to support United Nations Family Planning Funding.

Take Action through the Presbyterian Legislative Action Page or call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111.

Background

Congress is considering the Omnibus Appropriations Bill that contains $25 million in funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for FY 2004 to support family planning services worldwide. President Bush is currently withholding funding to this United Nations agency although the funding was approved by Congress.

For the past two years, President Bush has withheld funding for UNFPA over allegations that UNFPA supports family planning methods in China that coerce women into abortions they do not choose or force them to pay a high fee to have additional children. Families around the world are being affected by this funding freeze, and the President's decision needs to be reversed. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provides family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention services to poor countries, many of them not reached by United States international development funds. UNFPA is the world's largest multilateral agency working to expand access to health care services. It does not provide abortions and works to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

United Nations officials estimate the loss of U.S. funding could hinder efforts to prevent 800,000 abortions and the deaths of 4,700 mothers and 77,000 children under age five. The funding shortfall would also hurt the agency's international HIV/AIDS prevention efforts.

Thus far, two separate delegations have made fact-finding trips to China to investigate the allegations, one appointed by the White House and the other comprised of religious leaders in the United States. Both delegations reported that UNFPA is a "force for good," and that this agency, in effect, is preventing abortions, assisting China to reform its family planning policies and aiding in the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has supported this program (1997 Statement — PC(USA), p. 712).

The 209th General Assembly (1997):

1. Reaffirms the actions of previous General Assemblies calling for U.S. support for comprehensive family planning programs in developing nations;
2. Urges bipartisan support for adequate appropriations, communicate effectively that comprehensive family planning does not encourage abortion, and oppose legislative efforts which reduce foreign aid for comprehensive family planning programs.
3. Urges members of Congress to fully fund all international comprehensive family planning programs in the current budget, and urge the president, with the support of Congress, to increase funding in subsequent budgets as needed to provide for the comprehensive family planning programs in developing nations that are vital to the well-being of children, families, nations, and the peace of the world; and
4. Communicates this resolution to the president of the United States, the secretary of state, and to each member of Congress.

(This Action Alert was originally written by the staff at the Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church)