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In one final attempt to piss off Democrats everywhere, the Bush administration “is quietly cutting off birth control supplies” to poor women in Africa. According to an Op Ed piece in the New York Times, Bush and his pals threw a bone to Pro-Lifers under the guise of disapproving China’s family-planning program (a program that enforces a sometimes ruthless one-child-per-household law)
“U.S. Agency for International Development ordered six African countries to ensure that no U.S.-financed condoms, birth control pills, I.U.D.’s or other contraceptives are furnished to Marie Stopes International, a British-based aid group that operates clinics in poor countries.
The Bush administration says it took this action because Marie Stopes International works with the U.N. Population Fund in China. President Bush has cut all financing for the population fund on the — false — basis that it supports China’s family-planning program.”
Because of this birth control supply ban, Marie Stopes International estimates that “the result will be at least 157,000 additional unwanted pregnancies per year [in Africa], leading to 62,000 additional abortions and 660 women dying in childbirth.”
Whether MSI’s estimates are overestimated or not, the real issue is how the Bush administration, and many pro-life activists, believe that taking away a woman’s right to choose birth control and abortion somehow benefits her.
You take away sex education and a woman’s right to choose when and how to have a baby, you take away her basic freedom as a human being. Period.
[photo from www.doctorswithoutborders.org]
4 Comments
They’re obviously just trying to screw Africa over.
“You take away sex education and a woman’s right to choose when and how to have a baby, you take away her basic freedom as a human being. Period.”
I agree.
I can’t even imagine how the world would be if women everywhere became abstinent just to piss men off. Let’s see what happens then. Wouldn’t be such a good bible thumper then, would you? No prostitutes to go to, no girls to seduce, etc.. It’s strange to think about.
Firstly, this is politics. Secondly, I agree with the assessments, women should be allowed to choose.
Thirdly, any institution that works to support China’s control practices should be strong armed into cutting off relations with that hell of a country. I don’t think this is the best way to strong arm them with that said.
In short, China sucks, but Chinese people are cool.
completely agree with this article. death by childbirth is the leading cause of death for women around the world, and his policies do nothing to stop it.
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