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Posted on 11/24/2001 10:33:34 AM PST by AgThorn

From: The Pro-Life Infonet Weekly
Subject: Pro-Life Lawmakers Hold Up UNFPA Funding
Source: Focus on the Family, Life Advocacy Briefing;
Date: November 19, 2001

Pro-Life Lawmakers Hold Up UNFPA Funding

Washington, DC -- The push by abortion advocates in the U.S. Senate to give more money to efforts that reduce the world's population has stalled, thanks to the bold stand of a few pro-life congressmen.

It looked like the conference committee negotiating on the Foreign Operations appropriations bill was about to increase federal funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) from $25 million last fiscal year to $37.5 million in fiscal year 2002 -- with much of the money earmarked for population control.

But all that has changed.

"Americans do not want their tax dollars to go to organizations that cooperate with and praise China's one-child abortion policy," said Connie Mackey, vice president of government relations for the Family Research Council. "And we have nothing but praise ... for Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Mike Pence (R-IN) and other members of Congress who went to the floor to try to fight this battle on our behalf."

"Twenty-five million dollars is $25 million too much, but it's certainly not $34 million or $39 million or some other number," Smith said. "They certainly shouldn't be getting an increase when they are flaunting coercion while pretending to embrace volunteerism."

He said the population fund has "aided and abetted" communist China's policies, in which the central authorities have set quotas for population growth for certain regions. In some cases local authorities, in order to meet their quotas, have forced population control, including abortion.

Pro-life groups have long opposed taxpayer funding for the UNFPA, in large part because of its partnership with Chinese government officials in carrying out the country's policy allowing only one child per family. Officials often enforce the policy through forced sterilization and abortion.

However, the battle in Congress is not over.

Senate abortion advocates on the conference committee strongly support increased funding for the UNFPA, and several in the House aren't supportive of the strong stance taken by Smith and Pence along with pro-life Congressman Dave Weldon (R-FL), who is a medical doctor. Nevertheless, Smith has won the support of House leaders, who are willing to break off negotiations if Senate negotiators won't give in, according to CQ Monitor, which covers developments on Capitol Hill.

Smith, Weldon and Pence, protested the allocation for United Nations Population Fund, period, during last week's meeting of the House Republican Conference.

The three cited the recent hearing by the House Committee on International Relations, where UNFPA's continued complicity with Red China's forced abortion and involuntary sterilization pogrom was exposed, as well as UNFPA's burgeoning scheme to distribute back-alley, do-it-yourself abortion kits to Afghan refugees.

Their pleas were of such passion that House Republicans concluded the UNFPA funding item must be reconsidered before the Foreign Operations bill can be finalized.

Wendy Wright, spokesman for Concerned Women for America, said pro-abortion senators are blind to what the U.N. does with taxpayer money.

"We know United Nations Population Fund is using our tax dollars for coercive abortion and sterilization programs in China, and among refugees it was done in Kosovo and apparently will be done among the Afghan refugees in Pakistan now," Wright said.

She added that Congress needs to stop throwing money at the U.N. just because they've done it in the past. Mackey contends that the United States shouldn't be spending tax dollars on abortion and sterilization programs, when the money could be better spent on the war effort and aiding Afghan children.

ACTION: Contact your House representative and senators and urge them not to increase funding for the UNFPA from the level for fiscal year 2001. Tell them you do not want your tax dollars going to the organization because it supports forced sterilization and forced abortion programs, like those used in China.

Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121
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