Bush’s War on Women: For a 6th Year, Funds for UNFPA Withheld
Many thanks to Jane Roberts of 34 Million Friends for bringing this to our attention:
“For the sixth consecutive year, the Bush administration has decided to withhold funding from the U.N. Population Fund, saying the agency contributes to China’s “coercive abortion” program.
The administration decision was disclosed in a letter from Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte sent to lawmakers on Thursday, according to a copy of the document seen Friday. Congress had appropriated $34 million for the program, but gave President Bush the authority to decline to spend the money.
China has denied using any coercive measures in its population control efforts.
As it has in the past, the decision drew fire from several House Democrats.
“Once again, common sense policy has been replaced with nonsense,” said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-NY, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She called it an “unconscionable act” that “punishes the poorest women and children in all the countries UNFPA serves.”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, called the decision “appalling.”
“A decision to reverse five years of erroneous decisions to de-fund UNFPA could have restored U.S. leadership in the eyes of the world on this critical issue,” she said. “Instead, the Bush administration has once again turned its back on the planet’s poorest and neediest women.”"
Filed under: Uncategorized, Atrocities
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