Posted on 10/16/2004 10:22:34 PM PDT by Lorianne
At the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, the United States used the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo to call upon all nations to avoid using the controversial ICPD document to promote abortion.
US Ambassador Sichan Siv, who delivered the statement, also highlighted America's financial commitment to "advancing the well-being of women and their families" around the world. The US is "the single largest donor of maternal health assistance," allocating "[more than] $475 million annually over the last 4 years" to this cause. The US has spent over $1.4 billion on "international health assistance" and committed an additional $15 billion to AIDS relief programs through 2008. Since 2001 the US has also provided over $295 million to fight trafficking in persons "in more than 120 countries."
Ambassador Siv told the packed UN General Assembly hall that HIV/AIDS prevention should focus on "encouraging abstinence and fidelity" and "empowering and protecting women." According to Siv, the United States advances these goals by promoting women's "entrepreneurship and prosperity" and "political participation," and by prioritizing "respect for motherhood, the rights and responsibilities of parents, and the family as the basic and fundamental unit of societies everywhere."
The ambassador noted that other countries share an understanding of the ICPD that excludes abortion, saying, "We have heard over and over in regional reviews... that nations do not believe ICPD promotes, endorses, or supports abortion. The United States concurs that nothing in ICPD should be understood to promote, endorse, or support abortion."
The United States expressed "concerns" that some members of the international community "might be misusing ICPD to promote abortion." Such misuse was apparent during a panel discussion at the UN where three nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)-- the International Women's Health Coalition, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and the National Wildlife Federation-- discussed ICPD goals.
When asked about their programs to reduce maternal mortality, all three NGOs stressed a focus on "safe, legal abortion" without any mention of emergency obstetric care or other medical services for pregnant women who choose to have their children.
Sweden's statement to the General Assembly condemned the United States for ending its financial support of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), even though the US State Department has determined that UNFPA continues to support forced abortions in China. Sweden also said that "[t]he Swedish Government will continue to argue that every woman should have the right to choose a legal and safe abortion." Sweden then called for legal reform to ensure that "all people... be able to have a satisfying and safe sex life," including "lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender persons."
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