A U.S. House Committee Victory for UNFPA

Crowley-Lee Amendment to Restore Funding to UNFPA Passes in U.S. House International Relations Committee

Contact:

Suzanne Anzis, Press Secretary to Rep. Crowley: (202) 225-3965 Email: suzanne.anziska@mail.house.gov Susan Cohen, Director of Government Affairs, The Alan Guttmacher Institute: (202) 296-4012 Email: Scohen@guttmacher.org

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May 7, 2003--Defenders of international family planning scored an interim win today when the House International Relations Committee opened the way for restoration of funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The Crowley amendment seeks to maintain the protections in Kemp-Kasten while clarifying its intent. The clarification is needed because of recent misapplication of Kemp-Kasten and the devastating consequences for poor women and men in nearly 150 countries around the world.

The Bush administration withheld $34 million from UNFPA last year because of allegations that the agency’s program in China had run afoul of ambiguous anti-coercion language in the so-called Kemp-Kasten Amendment. New language, proposed by Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) and approved on a 23-22 vote after prolonged debate, clarifies that language to say the agency may be de-funded only if it “directly supports or participates in coercive abortion or sterilization.” The measure would authorize $25 million per year for UNFPA as part of the State Department authorization bill.

Under current law, the Kemp-Kasten Amendment cut funds if an organization “participated in the management of a program of coercive abortion or sterilization.” UNFPA critics said last year that by working in China, the agency was in effect taking part in a Chinese system of fines that Punishes couples for having more than one child and so encouraged abortions. UNFPA officials countered that on the contrary, their program was designed to demonstrate voluntary family planning and education, and independent evaluations by the U.S. State Department and British groups confirmed that position.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) vowed to renew his fight against the new Kemp-Kasten language on the House floor.

List of Countries with USAID Programs

List of Countries with UNFPA Programs

Background:

Kemp-Kasten defined:
Legislative History by Population Action International (Updated June 2003)

Analysis of Determination that Kemp-Kasten Amendment Precludes Further Funding to UNFPA under Pub. L. 107-115 by US Dept. of State (7/18/02)

Kemp-Kasten Amendment and UNFPA by the ressional Research Service (2/21/02)

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