From: Tom Gray <tgray@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: sci.environment
Date: 11 Nov 92 09:53 PST
Subject: IPS: Population & US Election
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1466601896:000:5227
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!tgray    Nov 11 09:53:00 1992


/* Written 12:04 am  Oct 26, 1992 by newsdesk@igc.apc.org in igc:ips.englibrary */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: UNITED STATES: Population advocates look forward to Clinton


washington, oct 22 (ips/jim lobe) -- if elected, democratic
presidential candidate bill clinton will move quickly to end the
six-year-old u.s. financial boycott of the u.n. population fund
(unfpa) and the international planned parenthood federation
(ippf), according to family planning advocates here.

representative jim moody, a family planning advocate in the
u.s. congress, predicted here thursday that clinton will
''immediately reverse'' republican policies on international
family planning services which took effect in 1985.

last april, clinton told an 'earth day' audience in
philadelphia he considered the refusal by the republican
administrations of presidents ronald reagan and george bush to
contribute to the two agencies ''shameful''.

''a clinton administration will restore u.s. funding for the
u.n.'s population-stabilisation efforts and allow u.s. foreign aid
to support planned parenthood,'' he said then.

in 1985, reagan ended 15 years of u.s. financial support for
the u.n. agency. he objected to unfpa's support for a family
planning programme in china which he accused of using coercive
abortions.

that same year, the administration's 'mexico city' policy,
enunciated first at the 1984 population conference in the mexican
capital, also took effect.

it provided that washington should cease funding private
overseas organisations that offer abortion-related services. ippf,
the world's largest non-governmental provider of family planning
services, was also effectively cut off.

both actions were taken largely at the behest of the u.s. anti-
abortion lobby which constituted a politically powerful element in
the republican coalition that brought reagan to the presidency in
1980.

family planning advocates had hoped that bush would take a less
dogmatic position more consistent with his early career in
congress and at the united nations during the late 1960s and early
1970s when he was a strong supporter of population-stabilisation
programmes in the third world.

but, apparently worried about maintaining the loyalty of the
republican right, bush vetoed a foreign aid bill in nov. 1989
because it included a 15-million-dollar appropriation for unfpa,
even though the legislation specified that none of the funds
earmarked for the u.n. agency could be used in china. (more/ips)

united states: population advocates look forward to clinton(2-e)

united states: population (2)

congress approved similar legislation each year since then,
only to have it vetoed by bush.

earlier this month, congress increased its contribution to
bilateral family planning programmes from 250 to 350 million
dollars for 1993 but deleted its contribution to unfpa and a
provision repealing the mexico city policy in anticipation of yet
another veto.

but representative chet atkins, another prominent family
planning supporter in congress, told a population institute
luncheon here thursday that there will be a ''major change in
national policy'', if, as expected, clinton defeats bush nov. 3.

such a change, according to sharon camp, vice-president of the
washington-based population crisis committee (pcc) is ''long
overdue.  the mexico city policy has had a very real and negative
impact on women's health around the world''.

''furthermore, by not contributing to either ippf or unfpa, the
u.s., under reagan and bush, has hurt the ability of these
organisations to expand family planning services to those who want
and need them''.

werner fornos, head of the population institute, said friday he
sensed a ''sea-change'' in u.s. attitudes towards support for
international family planning since the battle was joined between
reagan and population advocates.

the confrontation resulted in many population-advocacy groups
reaching out to grassroots organisations, such as environmental
and church groups, to form broader coalitions, such as those
involved in next week's world population awareness week declared
by the u.s. congress and 35 of 50 u.s. state governors.

''the population movement has really come of age'' as a result
of the battles it has had to fight against republican policy,
moody told representatives of many of the groups involved in next
week thursday's nationwide activities

atkins said that policy had forced the movement to ''think
defensively'' for 12 years.  if clinton is elected and sticks to
his pledge to reverse policy, the population movement will for the
first time in many years have an opportunity to consider what is
the next step.'' (end/ips/jl/yjc/92)

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