[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16535]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


              KEEP POLITICS OUT OF THE WHO; LET TAIWAN IN

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2008

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, one of the gravest errors 
that political leaders can make is to let politics get in the way of 
fundamental health needs. The clearest example of this that I know of 
in today's world is the insistence by the People's Republic of China on 
blocking membership for Taiwan in the World Health Organization.
  During the bird flu epidemic, the exclusion of Taiwan from the WHO 
was an interference with our ability as a global community to provide 
maximum protection for people against this terrible disease. There is 
of course a strong moral reason against excluding the millions of 
people from Taiwan from the benefits that they would receive from WHO 
participation. But for those for whom morality and respect for other 
human beings is not enough reason to overcome an effort to gain 
political advantage, self-interest should dictate to the PRC support 
for Taiwanese accession to the World Health Organization.
  This is especially the case now that travel between Taiwan and other 
places, including those under PRC rule has greatly increased. Ideology 
and sovereignty are no defense against germs and viruses. The World 
Health Organization does very important things in defense of humanity 
against illness, but its ability to perform that role is hampered by 
the exclusion of Taiwan from the World Health Organization and in all 
of our interests, I believe that our Government should be taking every 
possible step to ensure that the World Health Organization extends to 
Taiwan full membership.

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