It refuses to support Chinese population practices.
The United States said this month that it will not support the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for the third year in a row.
Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has determined that “China’s family planning policies still involve the use of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization practices,” conditions that under US law require an end to funding.
A State Department spokeswoman said that the reason the United States will not reinstate its funding is that the UN Population Fund’s public documents state that “it partners on family planning with the Chinese government agency responsible for these coercive policies.”
The funding will now go instead to the U.S. Agency for International Development and will be used for family planning, maternal and reproductive health programs that are in line with the Mexico City Policy (being the United States government policy that blocks U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling or referrals, advocate to decriminalize abortion, or expand abortion services).
During the General Assembly meeting this month, the acting U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council of the General Assembly Austin Smith said [https://c-fam.org/friday_fax/trump-administration-rains-on-un-abortion-parade/] ,
“We do not recognize abortion as a method of family planning, nor support the provision, promotion, and referral of abortion in our global health assistance.”
The U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services Alex Azar also regularly emphasises that:
“Countries have a sovereign right to be respected on these sensitive, fundamental issues.”
The U.S. statement added that other American family planning, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS funding amounts to more than $8 billion annually. This is the largest donation of any single country, and more than eight times the budget of UNFPA.
With its original purpose of curbing high population growth now largely redundant, I recently questioned the need for the United Nation’s continuing focus on population control, at all. Good on the United States for holding to its principles, as is its sovereign right.
Demography is Destiny, MercatorNet’s blog on population issues. This appeared here.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
