The United States of America recently released a statement regarding its position on the United Nations resolution “ Follow-up of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Cairo, 1994”. The statement released at the Commission on Population and Development in early May aims to clarify the country’s position on the ICPD Programme of Action.
The statement says that there are many aspects of the Programme of Action (PoA) that the United States supports. According to the statement, the United States’ funding level (which increased continuously over the last four years) demonstrates commitment to many of the ICPD PoA objectives.
However the statement notes that the United States has reservations regarding the interpretation of some of the language in the Programme of Action. It is keen to ensure that support for the PoA “will not be interpreted as promoting abortion or the use of abortifacients”.

The United States firmly supports the right of conscientious objection for health-care workers whose personal beliefs might dictate their refusal to perform, or be involved in, abortion or abortion-related activities, the statement says. The country does however support the treatment of women who suffer injuries or illnesses caused by legal or illegal abortion, it says. It also defines what the administration understands by unsafe abortion.

It continues: “The United States fully supports the principle of voluntary choice in family planning. It strongly reiterates that in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning. Couples should be able to choose which family planning method to use and whether to use any method at all”.
The statement ends with a comment on abstinence.

“With regards to adolescents the US statement regards abstinence as the preferred, most responsible, and healthiest choice for unmarried adolescents. The US believes that the reproductive rights of adolescents are linked to the rights and duties of parents who have responsibility for the well being and education of the adolescent.”

“Thus the US believes that any promotion of correct and consistent use of condoms or other methods of family planning for adolescents in this or other UN or UN Conference documents should be interpreted in the context of its continued support for, and promotion of, abstinence.”
(Source: US/UN Press Release 76 (04), 6 May via news@ippf.org)