PAI to Congress: Take a Close Look at Sauerbrey Before You Confirm

Washington, DC - October 3, 2005

In the wake of resignations and allegations of cronyism at the highest levels of the Bush Administration, PAI strongly recommends that the Senate conduct a strict and thorough evaluation of Ellen Sauerbrey, the president's nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration.

In this role, Sauerbrey would represent the U.S. position on family planning and reproductive health to the international community and oversee the United States' relationship with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). She would be directly responsible for administering funds to support reproductive health activities for refugees – among the most vulnerable communities under her watch. Of the millions of displaced people worldwide, the majority are women and children.

Women fleeing from conflict, political instability, natural disasters and other insecure environments are met with an additional risk of violence in refugee settings – particularly sexual violence. Displaced women's need for immediate and continual access to reproductive health services, including contraception and condoms, is critical in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, as well as unwanted pregnancies.

In her current role as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, however, Sauerbrey has led U.S. efforts to rewrite international consensus agreements that promote women's reproductive health and freedom. Demonstrating a clear priority of politics over the needs and rights of women, she has championed President Bush's scientifically unproven "abstinence-only" policies in place of successful and comprehensive HIV-prevention and family planning programs.

Will that be her policy for women in emergency and at-risk settings?

Given her history of promoting restrictive reproductive health policies – and her lack of experience managing emergency situations or displaced populations – PAI is calling upon Senators to scrutinize Ellen Sauerbrey's qualifications so that credentials, not politics, determine whether she is the best candidate for this top-level position and whether the lives of so many displaced and vulnerable women would be safe in her hands.

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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.