The President of the United States of America
Mr George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
USA
Monday January 21, 2002
Dear Mr President,
Wewrite to urge you to release the US$34 million of much needed funds to theUnited Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as recommended by the United StatesCongress.
Theurgency of the need for improved access to family planning, maternal and childhealth care and HIV/AIDS prevention cannot be overemphasised. Each year over 700,000 women die frompregnancy-related causes thats the equivalent of 4 jumbo jets full ofpregnant women crashing every day.Hundreds of thousands more are permanently disabled through largelypreventable causes. To put thesefigures into context, in the USA a womans lifetime chance of maternal death isone in 3,500. In 16 developingcountries around the world, however, it is less than one in 10.
HIV/AIDShas already killed almost 22 million people world-wide, most of them inSub-Saharan Africa. It continues toinfect approximately five million more people every year. Entire generations are being wiped out,depleting workforces, orphaning millions of children, and straining rudimentaryhealth systems to breaking point. Theepidemic is reversing decades of development that has been hard won incountries struggling with dire poverty.And yet, prevention is straightforward.Programmes that encourage the adoption of safer sex practises andmaternal and child health care are the best and cheapest investment insafeguarding the future for these countries.
Yourreintroduction of the Mexico City policy made it clear that you will notsupport organisations that are pro-choice, no matter what other life-savingservices they provide. But the UNFPAneither performs nor funds abortions.It does not support or condone coercion in family planning or any otheractivity. In fact, it works to preventsuch abuses, as your own investigations have proved.
Itis the will of the United States Congress and thus the American taxpayers that some of their money is used to support the UNFPA in its efforts to improveand save lives around the world. Withno evidence that the UNFPA acts against US policy, we cannot understand the basisfor your rejection of this recommendation.
Werespect your desire to adhere to the principles of US policy. However, we urge you to separate fact fromfiction when dealing with what are inevitably emotive issues. There are too many lives and whole nations at stake.
Sincerelyyours,
DrTim Black CBE MD MRCP, DTM&H MPH
ChiefExecutive
MarieStopes International
