Did you know that every MINUTE a woman dies in childbirth around the world, and that almost all of these tragic deaths are preventable? For every woman who dies, about 20 more are injured or disabled.

I had my share of birth trauma with Julian, but hell, that was nothing. It was traumatic and long and unimaginably painful, but neither of our lives were ever seriously in danger, and I experienced no lasting physical damage apart from an ugly C-section scar. Not the case for millions of other women...thanks again George M.F. Bush. Compassionate conservative, my BUNGHOLE. But I have added some good news at the end, and a way for you to help, of course.

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UNFPA Saddened By U.S. Decision Not to Rejoin Nations' Support For Multilateral Work to Protect Women's Health

16 September 2005

UNITED NATIONS, New York— The Bush Administration's decision for the fourth consecutive year not to release $34 million appropriated by Congress for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is regrettable, especially when leaders at the World Summit are stressing the need to act together on global concerns, the Fund said today. The funds are urgently needed for effective multilateral work in developing countries to prevent maternal and child deaths, stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, provide voluntary contraception and to support the work to end poverty.

The Administration's stated reason for continuing to withhold funds is simply incorrect, as an assessment team sent to China by the Administration itself found no evidence that UNFPA supports coercive abortions or sterilization, the Fund emphasized. To the contrary, it reported that UNFPA had registered its strong opposition to such practices. Other independent teams, from the British Parliament and a multi-faith panel of religious leaders, reached the same conclusion, some adding that UNFPA was a force for good, promoting positive change.

“This decision is disheartening because it contradicts clear evidence that UNFPA works hard to end coercion by proving the efficacy and superiority of the voluntary approach to family planning over any other alternative,” said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA’s Executive Director. “We receive funding from 166 nations that believe in strengthening UNFPA’s role as a leading voice for human rights in family planning, safe motherhood and AIDS prevention.”

“I hope the United States will rejoin the family of nations that support our multilateral work to eliminate maternal deaths, prevent HIV/AIDS, empower women and reduce poverty,” said Ms. Obaid. “Our task is made more urgent by the fact that more than 300 million poor women in the world suffer from short- and long-term illnesses related to pregnancy or childbirth, with more than half a million of them dying each year.”

The current Administration has, so far, withheld $127 million in funds appropriated by Congress. One year’s withheld funding of $34 million could prevent as many as 2 million unwanted pregnancies and 4,700 maternal deaths in developing countries. The funds could also be used to scale up promising maternal health and HIV-prevention efforts, as well as to treat young women suffering from obstetric fistula.

UNFPA’s pilot assistance in several China counties is proving that a client-oriented and quality-of-care approach to reproductive health and family planning is the superior alternative to a target-driven system. The Fund is pushing for Chinese women to have increased choice and access to quality, voluntary family planning and reproductive health. Abortions, surgical contraception and maternal deaths have dropped in the counties, while more women are choosing their own methods of contraception.

UNFPA helps approximately 146 countries and territories increase access to reproductive health care, including voluntary contraception; to promote safe motherhood; and to prevent unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.

The United States is the only country to ever deny funding to UNFPA for non-budgetary reasons in the agency’s entire 36 years of operation. (Laura's note: even Afghanistan contributed $100 last year!)
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UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.
(Laura's note: Oh, and those goals are un-American, right?)

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Now for the good news....

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The Power of Two Women, One Idea and 34 Million Friends

34 Million Friends of UNFPA got its start in July 2002 with the almost simultaneous inspiration of two strong women. Both were outraged by the U.S. decision to withhold from UNFPA $34 million in congressionally appropriated funds, and each was determined to do something about it.

When she heard about the decision, Jane Roberts of Redlands, California lay in bed thinking, "A letter to the editor or to my congressman won't be enough. So I'll get 34 million people to donate a dollar."

Miles away, in Taos, New Mexico, Lois Abraham had the same idea. Their initiative took flight in August and by the following May, contributions had exceeded $1 million. "Our goal is idealistic, but within the realm of possibility," said Lois. "UNFPA has a vision, and so do we."

34 Million Friends has become a grassroots movement supported by 100,000 individuals and donors who have contributed more than $2 million and demonstrated widespread commitment to UNFPA's work to improve the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities around the world.

Men and women from every state in the U.S. continue to contribute. The story has sparked widespread interest in the media, and more donations arrive with each news feature or column that is published or aired. Last May, a sister campaign, Friends in the European Union, was launched in Brussels. In August, a video about the campaign featuring music from the legendary Odetta and crafted from a poem by Jane was released.

Many donations – some for a dollar or two, some for much larger amounts – are accompanied by heartfelt notes expressing the belief that all people deserve reproductive health care and access to family planning.

Jane and Lois continue to maintain an active schedule of speaking engagements and other activities to rally support for UNFPA's work and continue the momentum of 34 Million Friends.

When the campaign reached $2 million in contributions, Thoraya A. Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, expressed her gratitude. “We have never experienced anything like this,” said Ms. Obaid. “Lois and Jane have not only mobilized funds that we need and are using to save women's lives, but they also have demonstrated that citizens in the United States, as all over the world, understand that family planning and related reproductive health care, safe motherhood and HIV/AIDS prevention are essential requirements for basic human health – and that we must work together to make them universally available.