[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1872-E1873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 IN HONOR OF WORLD POPULATION AWARENESS WEEK 2000--SAVING WOMEN'S LIVES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 19, 2000

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
Population Institute's 16th annual ``World Population Awareness Week 
(WPAW).'' The theme of this event, ``Saving Women's Lives,'' is an 
appropriate reminder of the hundreds of thousands of women who die each 
year due to reproductive health complications. Every minute of every 
day a woman somewhere in the world dies from pregnancy related 
complications, a total of 600,000 women each year.
  According to Population Institute President Warner Fornos more than 
350 million married women in developing countries still lack access to 
information, education, and the means to obtain a range of modern 
family planning methods. This problem is further exacerbated by the 
fact that a disproportionately large share of the poorest of the poor 
and malnourished in the world are women and girls.
  In addition to focusing on the status of women around the world, 
World Population Awareness Week strives to develop awareness to the 
environmental and social complications caused by rapid population 
growth across the globe. Two hundred thirty organizations from 62 
countries around the world co-sponsored World Population Awareness 
Week, including the Family Planning Association of India, the National 
Association of Family Welfare of Cameroon, and the Educational 
Foundation for Reproductive Health of Cambodia. Over 200 mayors across 
the United

[[Page E1873]]

States have also proclaimed the event, along with the following 34 
Governors:
  Governor Tony Knowles of Alaska, Gray Davis of California, Bill Owens 
of Colorado, John G. Rowland of Connecticut, Thomas Carper of Delaware, 
Roy Barnes of Georgia, Benjamin Cayetano of Hawaii, Thomas Vilsack of 
Iowa, Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho, Bill Graves of Kansas, Paul Patton of 
Kentucky, Angus King, Jr. of Maine, Parris Glendening of Maryland, 
Argeo Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts, Jesse Ventura of Minnesota, Kirk 
Fordice of Mississippi, Mel Carnahan of Missouri, Mike Johanns of 
Nebraska, Kenny Guinn of Nevada, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, 
Christie Todd Whitman of New Jersey, Gary Johnson of New Mexico, James 
B. Hunt, Jr. of North Carolina, Edward Schafer of North Dakota, Rob 
Taft of Ohio, Frank Keating of Oklahoma, John Kitzhaber of Oregon, Tom 
Ridge of Pennsylvania, Lincoln Almond of Rhode Island, Jim Hodges of 
South Carolina, Don Sundquist of Tennessee, Howard Dean of Vermont, 
Gary Locke of Washington, Cecil Underwood of West Virginia.
  Mr. Speaker, next week during World Population Awareness Week, we 
have the perfect opportunity to show the world our commitment to 
international family planning without the anti-democratic restrictions 
by supporting full FY 1995 funding levels for international family 
planning and once and for all remove the onerous Gag Rule from law. 
Women's lives around the world are depending on it.

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