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NR: One of the keystones of the United Nations Conference on the status of women was what's called a "platform of action"...a call for women's rights and equality around the world. The platform did not address abortion as the UN maintains neutrality on the topic. But the United States refused to sign the platform with out specific anti-abortion language in it. The US was the only country...out of one hundred and ninety countries..that rejected the platform.
Anika Rahman is the President of the U.S. Committee at the United Nations Populations Fund...or UNFPA. She says says that although the US sees itself as a leader at the UN, this administration's behavior isolated the United States from other UN countries.
AX:RAHMAN: To my knowledge no other country supported the United States and the official position it took. The U.S. obviously has isolated itself in the United Nations. This kind of posturing puts everyone at the U.N. on notice that it's going to take a big fight every time when you're talking about women and women's empowerment because the U.S. will take you on. (20 Seconds)
NR: By the end of the conference , the US administration admitted the platform did not create any new rights to abortion and agreed to sign the platform. Rahman says the US acted hypocritically.
AX:RAHMAN: The administration of course talks about promoting women's rights domestically and then going to war for women in other countries such as Afghanistan. But in truth the actions of the administration in meetings like this demonstrate that this is an administration not committed to women or to family planning. (16 Seconds)
AX:RUSE: The number one issue as far as I'm concerned in politics and religion is the abortion question. (4 Seconds)
NR:Austin Ruse heads the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute...a pro-life, non-profit group. Ruse says that what's at stake here is federal funding of abortion...he says the U.S. should use its money and influence to promote a no-abortion policy both domestically and internationally.
AX:RUSE: One of the things that the American people agree on in a pretty contentious area which is abortion is that taxpayer money should not go to support it or promote it....We don't do it domestically so I think the feeling is that we should not be doing it internationally either. (17 Seconds)
NR: In the US, the Bush Administration prohibits the use of federal funds to cover abortion...unless the mother's life is in danger, or in a case of rape or incest.
And since his very first day in office, President Bush has exported these regulations under a Reagan-era plan called the Mexico City Policy. Under Mexico City, any non-governmental organization who receives federal funding from the United States is prohibited from using it's own, non-U.S., private money to provide abortions...or talk about abortion.
International Planned Parenthood refused to sign on to the Mexico City Policy...and as a result they lost eighteen million dollars in federal funds.
TEASE:KULICK: It was a significant loss of revenue.
NR: Gill Kulick from International Planned Parenthood says that refusing the money was difficult..but accepting would have meant an even bigger compromise.
AX:KULICK: We consider it a matter of principle that we couldn't accept restrictions on what our providers could tell or not tell their clients. (8 Seconds)
NR: The Mexico City Policy has been criticized for these restrictions on speech. Critics say the policy doesn't allow providers to discuss abortion with patients. That's why they call it the Global Gag Rule.
Laura Katziv is a legal advisor for the Center for Reproductive Rights...she says that by instituting the Mexico City Policy...the US is violating a basic human right.
AX:KATZIV: What's also at stake here is the right to free speech which is also protected internationally. What the global gag rule does...it restricts what NGOS in other countries can talk about and dictates to them what their position should be on a pressing matter. (16 Seconds)
NR: But Austin Ruse, President of the Catholic Family and Human Rights institute says the US isn't pressuring anybody...and that the President has a right to impose restrictions on those organizations who receive federal funds.
AX: RUSE:Any body in the world as far as the U.S. government is concerned can stand on a mountain top and preach abortion an perform abortions but free speech doesn't mean they get to be supported by the federal government.(14 Seconds)
NR: Many family planning groups around the world rely heavily on US federal funding and most have agreed to sign on to the Mexico City Policy. Five years from now, at the next UN Conference on Women, the United Nations will revisit family planning and women's rights around the world. And at that time, the consequences of US abortion policy will also be an important topic of discussion.
I'm Nazanin Rafsanjani Columbia Radio News....