[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2682 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2682

 To direct United States funding to the United Nations Population Fund 
                         for certain purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 29, 2008

 Mr. Reid (for Mrs. Clinton) introduced the following bill; which was 
     read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct United States funding to the United Nations Population Fund 
                         for certain purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United Nations Population Fund 
Restoration Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) More than 500,000 women worldwide die during childbirth 
        every year, with the overwhelming majority of these deaths 
        occurring in the developing world.
            (2) More than 10,000,000 women annually experience serious 
        complications from pregnancy, such as obstetric fistula.
            (3) Ensuring skilled attendants at birth, backed by 
        emergency obstetric care, could reduce maternal deaths by about 
        75 percent, yet one-third of pregnant women in low-income 
        countries do not have contact with health personnel prior to 
        giving birth.
            (4) Approximately 3,000,000 girls face female genital 
        mutilation and cutting on an annual basis. These practices have 
        both short- and long-term physical and mental health 
        consequences.
            (5) At least 200,000,000 women want to use safe and 
        effective family planning methods, but are unable to do so 
        because they lack access to health care services and 
        information about family planning.
            (6) Women and children account for more than 75 percent of 
        the refugees and displaced persons at risk from war, famine, 
        persecution, and natural disaster. In a crisis or refugee 
        situation, one in five women of childbearing age is likely to 
        be pregnant.
            (7) Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are the second 
        leading cause of health problems for women of reproductive age, 
        causing pregnancy-related pelvic inflammatory disease and 
        cervical cancer.
            (8) The United Nations Population Fund, which is supported 
        by contributions from more than 180 countries from all regions 
        of the world, carries out activities in more than 150 countries 
        to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, end female genital 
        mutilation and cutting, reduce transmission of STIs and HIV/
        AIDS, and ensure access to health care and essential supplies 
        for women and families impacted by emergencies.

SEC. 3. USE OF FUNDS.

    Funds appropriated or otherwise made available for a United States 
contribution to the United Nations Population Fund shall be used for 
the following purposes:
            (1) To provide and distribute equipment, medicine, and 
        supplies, including safe delivery kits and hygiene kits, to 
        ensure safe childbirth and emergency obstetric care.
            (2) To make available supplies of contraceptives for the 
        prevention of unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually 
        transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
            (3) To prevent and treat cases of obstetric fistula.
            (4) To reestablish maternal health services in areas where 
        medical infrastructure and such services have been destroyed or 
        limited by natural disasters, armed conflict, or other factors.
            (5) To promote abandonment of harmful traditional 
        practices, including female genital mutilation and cutting and 
        child marriage.
            (6) To promote the access of unaccompanied women and other 
        vulnerable people to vital services, including access to water, 
        sanitation facilities, food, and health care.
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