[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16937]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 AMERICAN EMBASSY SECURITY ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOSEPH CROWLEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 19, 1999

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2415) to 
     enhance security of United States missions and personnel 
     overseas, to authorize appropriations for the Department of 
     State for fiscal year 2000, and for other purposes:

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the 
Gilman-Campbell-Maloney-Crowley-Greenwood amendment to provide funding 
to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
  The UNFPA has long supported the right of couples and individuals to 
decide freely and responsibility the number and spacing of their 
children, and to have the information and means to do so, free of 
discrimination, coercion or violence. Accordingly, the UNFPA works to 
provide women and men with access to safe, effective, affordable and 
voluntary contraceptive methods of their choice, as well as access to 
health care for safe pregnancy and childbirth.
  Mr. Chairman, I would also like to address two myths that critics of 
the UNFPA commonly state regarding official UNFPA policies. The first 
concerns abortion and let me be very clear on this point. The UNFPA 
does not support or fund abortion in any way shape or form. UNFPA's 
activities are mandated by the programme of action of the International 
Conference on Population and Development, which states that in no case 
should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning.
  Instead, the UNFPA works to prevent abortion through the provision of 
voluntary family planning services. In addition, the UNFPA has not, 
does not and will not ever condone coercion in population and family 
planning policies and programs. They are committed to the realization 
of the UN's charter and the universal declaration on human rights, and 
it condemns coercive practices in all forms.
  Mr. Chairman, the world has always looked to the U.S. for its 
leadership in global population and development programs. Restoring our 
contribution to the UNFPA will again clearly signal our continued 
commitment to addressing this important global challenge. Therefore, I 
ask my colleagues to vote for the Gilman - Campbell - Maloney - Crowley 
- Greenwood amendment.

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