As international leaders gathered Thursday at the United Nations to address plans to eradicate global poverty, the Bush administration notified Congress that it will withhold the U.S. contribution ($34 million) to the U.N. Population Fund for the fourth consecutive year.
This aid provides vital services for the world’s poorest women and girls, so why would the U.S. fail to help? Because, despite the U.S. State Department claims to the contrary, the administration asserts that the fund supports China’s forced sterilization policy. The truth is, in order to change that policy, Washington should support the population fund, not cripple it.