President Bush announced Thursday that he would withhold funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for the seventh year in a row. According to OneWorld UK, President Bush withheld $39.7 million authorized by Congress for the UNFPA. This brings the total amount withheld over the past seven years to $235 million.
UNFPA supports voluntary family planning and reproductive health programs in 154 countries. Its program is supported by voluntary donations from member countries. According to PlanetWire the United States is the only country to withhold UNFPA funding for political reasons.
PlanetWire reports that John Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State, justified President Bush’s decision by claiming that the UNFPA supports "coercive abortions and sterilization." Ms. magazine reports that this false allegation originated in a 2001 statement from a privately funded US anti-choice group. This claim has been conclusively disproved by several state department investigations, blue-ribbon commission investigations, and three international monitoring teams according to OneWorld UK and Ms. magazine.
Media Resources: OneWorld 6/26/2008, PLANetWIRE 6/26/2008, Ms. Summer 2003.
6/19/2013 House Passes 20 Week Abortion Ban - Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a nationwide abortion ban after 20 weeks gestation in a vote of 228 to 196. . . .
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
