A Step Backward, But a Good One

Congress has taken two constructive steps to restore funding cuts and to reform policy decisions imposed by the Reagan Administration on international population programs. The Senate has approved by a vote of 52 to 48 the restoration of American support for the United Nations Fund for Population Activities for the first time since 1985. The action, sponsored by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), is carefully drafted to deny any of these funds to the UNFPA’s program in China, where reports of coercive birth control policies led to the initial denial of American funding four years ago. This will now go to conference with the House of Representatives.

There is a symbolic importance to this action, beyond the $15 million. The UNFPA represents the most ambitious global effort to assist developing nations in curbing explosive growth in population. Controversy over China’s policies has been unfairly used by foes of population programs to deny the agency all funding. That short-sighted funding approach has punished 140 other nations, many of them struggling to implement basic programs. There is no evidence that United Nations support of China’s program contributed to any of the coercive actions reported there in the past. That has been confirmed by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“The United States is the leader in family planning technology and expertise,” Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the foreign operations subcommittee, said recently. “We should be at the forefront of the effort to control population growth. We cannot do that without being part of UNFPA.” We agree.

The move to fund UNFPA attracted bipartisan support, but California’s senators divided, with Democrat Alan Cranston supporting the funds and Republican Pete Wilson opposed.

American efforts have also been crippled by the anti-abortion policy adopted under Reagan, and now reaffirmed by Bush, to deny assistance overseas to agencies that include abortion counseling in their services. The policy was developed by the Reagan Administration in 1984 and has restricted foreign assistance programs ever since, most notably in cutting off funds for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the single most effective private voluntary organization delivering birth control and other population programs. The issue has not been the use of American government funds for abortion services. That is prohibited by law. The issue has been an effort to impose restrictions abroad that go far beyond restrictions at home.

Legislation has now been introduced to remedy the problem and it deserves prompt passage. The bill, H.R. 720, is sponsored by Rep. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Me.) and Rep. Chester G. Atkins (D-Mass.). It affirms that the United States government may not make foreign aid rules on population programs abroad more restrictive than domestic law. It is a measure affirming respect for the sovereignty of each nation and its right to develop appropriate population policies. It would help remedy the present anomalous situation in which funding is denied to programs abroad that would fully qualify for funding in the United States.

Over the last four years, annual American assistance to poor nations for population programs has declined about $60 million, according to Sharon Camp of the Population Crisis Committee. Total funding in 1985 was about $290 million, while currently it is about $227. That is an irresponsible reaction to the overwhelming problem of population growth.

The campaign against abortion by some groups in the United States has too long been permitted to undermine appropriate population programs abroad. The actions now before Congress do not promote abortion, and they do not support abortion. They support balanced programs of population control, the very kind of programs that reduce the incidence of abortion and affirm the value of life.