PAI Dismayed by House Appropriations Committee Vote Against the Lowey Amendment to Restore U.S. Funding to UNFPA
Washington, DC - July 9, 2004Population Action International (PAI) today expressed its dismay over a House Appropriations Committee vote of 26-32 against the Lowey amendment to provide $25 million in U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for work in six countries with extreme family planning needs and significant national security implications. The countries included in the amendment were: Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Pakistan, Kenya and Tanzania.
"The House Appropriations Committee vote against the Lowey amendment shows that election year political allegiances – rather than facts – are more important than joining the rest of the world in supporting an organization that is the leading multilateral source of funding for population and reproductive health programs. That $25 million would have gone a long way in supporting work in those six countries," said Amy Coen, President of Population Action International.
"This vote demonstrates that women in the world's neediest countries will never be as important as securing one's own political position," stated Terri Bartlett, Vice President for Public Policy at PAI.
UNFPA’s multi-faceted work helps women in developing countries plan and space the number of children they wish to have. It helps ensure the safe delivery of healthy babies — even in unsafe environments. It helps to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. It helps to reduce the need for abortion. And as a result, UNFPA saves thousands of women's and children's lives every year.
U.S. funding of UNFPA has been non-existent since 2002, when President Bush first cancelled a $34 million contribution to UNFPA. Officials at the organization estimate that each of the congressionally approved, but cancelled $34 million contributions over the past two years would prevented two million unwanted pregnancies, nearly 800,000 induced abortions, 4,700 maternal deaths, nearly 60,000 cases of maternal illness or disability, and 77,000 infant and child deaths.
Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.
