Population Action International Joins European Partners in Condemning U.S. Government Ban on Contraceptives to Africa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC. The European NGOs for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Population and Development (EuroNGOs) issued a statement today shocked about a recent decision by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). On October 1 it was revealed that USAID had issued instructions to its staff to pressure several African governments to discontinue provision of U.S.-funded contraceptives to Maries Stopes International (MSI), one of the world’s leading family planning organizations. This is just the latest example of the Bush administration’s hostility towards contraception and interference with constructive efforts to improve maternal health.

USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health Kent Hill justified this decision because MSI works in China, by which he asserts that the nonprofit organization is guilty under the terms of the Kemp-Kasten amendment to have “support[ed] or participate[d] in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization,” even though there’s no evidence to this accusation.

MSI does not support coercive practices in China or elsewhere. In fact, they have sought to play a positive role in helping to reform the Chinese government’s program and to end the occurrence of human rights abuses. 

MSI chief executive Dana Hovig said the USAID decision will “seriously disrupt” essential maternal healthcare and family planning services in at least six African countries – Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. More than half of MSI’s services globally are directed to rural areas and underserved communities. Life-saving contraceptive supplies (including condoms) that have already been procured in these countries may now likely go to waste without the infrastructure of MSI to distribute them where they are needed.

The EuroNGOs statement (copied below) urges their respective governments to challenge the decision, share objections with the U.S. government, and support the affected countries in rejecting this USAID pressure.

“Once again President Bush has shocked and disheartened the European community by playing politics with poor women’s lives,” said Amy Coen, President/CEO of PAI. “This directive will prevent poor women in many African countries from accessing much needed pregnancy care and modern contraceptives – both important health services that we take for granted in the United States, but that are often out of reach for women in Africa.”

This last-ditch effort by the Bush administration to install regressive policies follows through on the veiled threat to expand the application of the Kemp-Kasten amendment to other organizations working in China, contained in the June determination by the State Department to withhold the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) contribution for this year.  Buried in that statement announcing the continuing cut-off of funding for UNFPA was the following ominous warning:

"During the course of our evaluation of UNFPA's work, we learned of other organizations that conduct activities in China.  The relevant funding agencies are conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine what appropriate and lawful actions can be taken."

MSI does not currently receive any direct family planning assistance -- either funding or supplies -- from the U.S. government because of MSI's earlier principled refusal to be bound by the Global Gag Rule restriction, another destructive Bush administration policy.  The latest action by USAID seeks to block even the most indirect of U.S. assistance from being provided to MSI.  USAID is pushing the interpretation of the requirements of the Kemp-Kemp amendment to an extreme -- trying to block U.S. contraceptives supplied to sovereign governments, who should be able to allocate donated resources based upon needs at the local level, from being provided to MSI for distribution in their clinics.

For more information about the Bush administration’s seven-year ban on UNFPA funding, please see PAI’s June press release at http://www.popact.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/06_27_UNFPA_Kemp-Kasten.shtml.

Population Action International has experts on this issue that are available to discuss these policies and their impact. For more information or to arrange an interview with a PAI spokesperson, please contact Tyler LePard at 202.557.3422.

EuroNGOs and Other International NGOs Statement

Members of EuroNGOs and other international NGOs were appalled to learn of USAID’s decision to force six African governments (Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda) to cease the provision of contraceptive commodities to Marie Stopes International partners.

Given that Marie Stopes International is a global leader in reproductive health care and in many countries provides a significant proportion of all family planning services, USAID’s decision is likely to endanger the lives of thousands of women. Lack of access to reproductive health supplies may result in unintended pregnancies and could force women into unsafe abortion and increase the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity.

In light of the above, we, the undersigned, call upon our governments to:

• Challenge USAID on this decision by informing the US government of their objections
• Support the affected governments in rejecting this USAID pressure
• Ensure that no lives are lost or impaired by responding to MSI’s needs and immediately making available resources to ensure the continued supply of vital commodities
• Redouble its efforts to address commodity security in developing countries, including the principle of national stewardship and leadership.

Members of EuroNGOs:

• Swedish Association for Sex Education (RFSU) – Sweden
• German Federation for World Population (DSW) – Germany
• Population and Sustainability Network (P&S) – UK
• World Population Foundation (WPF) – Netherlands
• Sex & Samfund – Denmark
• Vaestelitto – Finland
• Cyprus Family Planning Association - Cyprus 
• Polish Family Planning Association - Poland
• Latvian Family Planning Association- Latvia 
• Associação para o Planeamento da Família (APF) - Portugal
• Interact WorldWide – UK
• Lithuanian Family Planning Association - Lithuania
• Italian Association for Women in Development (AIDOS) – Italy   
• Equilibres & Populations (E&P) - France
• Mouvement Français pour le Planning Familial (MFPF) – France
• International Foundation for Population and Development (IFPD) - Switzerland
• Sensoa – Belgium
• Polish Federation for Women - Poland
• Federación de Planificación Familiar de España (FPEE) – Spain   
• Bruin Organisation for Civilisation of Sustainability (BOCS) – Hungary
• Marie Stopes International – UK
• Österreichische Gesellschaft für Familienplanung (OEGF) – Austria
• Commonwealth Medical Trust (Commat) – UK 
• Fondation suisse pour la santé sexuelle et reproductive (PLANes) - Switzerland
• Fédération Laïque de Centres de Planning Familial (FLCPF) – Belgium
• Norsk forening for seksuell og reproduktiv helse og rettigheter (NSRR) - Norway

Other Organizations Supporting this Statement:

• Population Action International (PAI) – USA     
• International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) - UK
• Venture Strategies for Health and Development - USA
• The Center for Reproductive Rights – USA  
• Asia Pacific Alliance (APA) – New Zealand
• Family Planning Association (FPA) – New Zealand  
• Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) – Philippines
• Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD) – Canada   
• European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) – Belgium
• Advocates for Action (SPW) – UK
• Population Services International (PSI) – USA

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