Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Associated Press - Sunday, December 15, 2002
Vijay Joshi, Associated Press Writer
The United States has threatened to withdraw its support for a 1994 family planning agreement because the Bush administration believes some of the language in the accord can be seen as promoting abortion - a stance that has angered some Asian and European countries.
Several Asian countries - including India, Pakistan and China - that accept abortion to control population have debated the issue with U.S. officials during preliminary meetings that began Wednesday in Bangkok.
About 30 countries will be represented at the U.N.-sponsored Asian and Pacific Population Conference, which will focus on population, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and poverty.
The dispute between the United States and other participants stems from an international family planning agreement reached in Cairo in 1994 that called for controlling population by improving the legal rights and economic status of women and by expanding access to health care.
The Bangkok conference is expected to adopt a series of steps to implement the Cairo plan at the end of the ministerial meetings on Tuesday.
However, the United States has threatened to withdraw support for the Cairo agreement, saying some of the phrases in it, including "reproductive health services" and "reproductive rights," can be interpreted as promoting abortion. Asian officials and private groups fear that a U.S. refusal to budge from that position will undermine the conference, preventing it from dealing with other important issues as well.
During four days of preliminary discussions that ended Saturday, the United States was virtually isolated in its stance against abortion.
"It is sad to see the U.S. move from being a leader on these issues, to that of a minority voice," said Ninuk Widyantoro of the Women's Health Foundation, a private Indonesian group.
The U.S. government has made it clear that it will not support any programs that promote abortion. As part of its stand, the Bush administration earlier this month blocked $34 million in funds appropriated by Congress for the United Nations Population Fund.
The Bangkok meeting is organized by the U.N. Population Fund and the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
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