For Immediate Release:	September 19, 2005
For More Information:	Jennifer Psaki, Office of U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley, jennifer.psaki@mail.house.gov, (202) 225-3965
Sponsor Organization:	Office of U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley
Calls the Decision “Heartless”
Washington, DC-Today Congressman Joseph Crowley, Chief Deputy Whip, [McCannell, Chris] spoke out in response to the President's announcement that he would with hold $35 Million in funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). "Yet again women and children have to bear the pain of the mis-directed politics and tax cut policies of this Administration. By refusing to release funding for UNFPA, the US is saying that we do not care about the reproductive health and support for the poorest of women in over 150 countries around the world ," stated Crowley. The $34 Million appropriated by Congress, but withdrawn by President Bush could prevent 2 million unintended pregnancies, 800,000 abortions, 4700 maternal deaths, and 77,000 infant and child deaths each year. Currently, more than 530,000 women die each year, 98% of them in developing countries as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. While countries all over the world make significant financial contributions to the UNFPA, under the Bush Administration the United States has withheld funding for four years based on an incorrect assumption that funding is used for coercive abortions. The truth is that UNFPA does not provide abortion services anywhere in the world -- not one penny of UNFPA funding is used to promote abortion. This crisis is especially relevant at a time when more than one third of the midwives perished in South Asia as a result of the Tsunami. There are still thousands without the proper medical facilities or healthcare access, who are more vulnerable to disease, infection and even death. "This is just another example of a buried press announcement by the White House, that will effectively cut off essential services to people in need all over the world. I have traveled to Asia, Africa and Latin America and have seen first hand how UNFPA is preventing un-planned pregnancies, giving women important pre and post natal care and helping in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. This Administration needs to add a few more letters to the alphabet to their response to women instead of just speaking about the A (abstinence) B (be faithful) and C (use condoms) this Administration needs to support the UNFPA."