Ellmers' Pro-Life Bill Passes Committee

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC) today announced the passage of H.R. 2059 from the House Foreign Affairs Committee which completed the bill's markup this afternoon:

"I'm happy to announce today that we have taken an important step in protecting American taxpayers from funding controversial family planning operations through the UN and will save $400 million in taxpayer dollars over ten years. The UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) has been widely denounced for its involvement in China's one-child policy, which relies on forced abortion and sterilization."

"Whether or not you believe the US should be borrowing money from China to fund UN projects in China, U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to fund programs that violate provisions of the 'Kemp-Kasten' amendment which bans U.S. aid to organizations involved in the management of coercive family planning programs. If the Chinese wish to do such things, they should not expect funding from the United States tax payer."

"By passing through the House Foreign Affairs Committee today, this important bill will now be granted the opportunity to have a full vote in the House and I urge my colleagues to vote for its passage. As we work to get our economy back on track, we must start by cutting wasteful spending and protecting lives from these intolerable practices."

On May 31, Congresswoman Ellmers introduced H.R. 2059 to the House Foreign Affairs Committee - a bill that would prohibit funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and will save $400 million in taxpayer dollars over ten years. This legislation was the winning YOUCUT entry for the first week of the competition in May. H.R. 2059 cuts $50 million from the Foreign Affairs budget by disallowing the Secretary of State to make a contribution to UNFPA.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the principal unit within the United Nations for global population issues, is the world's largest source of population and reproductive health programs. For the last 30 years, there has been contentious debate about whether the United States should financially contribute to UNFPA because UNFPA aids China's coercive family planning programs and policies.

Both the Reagan and Bush administrations withheld funds for the UNFPA due to UNFPA's complicity in China's one-child policy enforced through coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization. Yet by executive order, President Obama resumed contributions to UNFPA, and H.R. 2059 prohibits that.

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