Statement by Amy Coen, President/CEO of Population Action International, on the omnibus spending bill that omits a provision that would have reduced the need for abortions in developing countries

Dr. Karen Hardee, a social demographer for over 20 years, has joined Population Action International (PAI) as Vice President of Research. In that capacity, Dr. Hardee will lead an esteemed team of researchers in developing strong evidence-based advocacy on issues related to women's well being and global population in an effort to build a more just and prosperous world.

A short film that demonstrates, in stark and powerful detail, the grave consequences of the United States' abstinence-only approach to HIV prevention has been chosen for the 10th Annual United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF). Filmed in Kenya and Uganda, Abstaining from Reality: U.S. Restrictions on HIV Prevention features educators, an HIV-positive priest and a young Kenyan woman, Juliet Awuor, who contracted HIV/AIDS and became pregnant because she and her boyfriend did not know the proper way to use condoms. Awuor's baby subsequently contracted the disease and died. This compelling documentary provides a snapshot of the Bush administration's abstinence-only approach to global HIV/AIDS assistance.

Washingtonian Magazine awarded its biennial honor to Population Action International (PAI) as one of 60 “great places to work.” PAI was chosen from more than 225 candidates because of its “interesting work, good pay and benefits, collegial staff, employee development, and flexibility.”

The risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth still shows the largest gap between the rich and poor of all development statistics, despite 20 years of campaigning to improve the reproductive health of women throughout the world, according to Population Action International's new report A Measure of Survival: Calculating Women's Sexual and Reproductive Risk. The lifetime risk of maternal death is over 250 times higher in poor countries than in wealthy countries. Tragically, this grave risk is largely preventable.

Pregnancy and childbirth in the United States are more deadly than ever before, even though the causes are largely preventable. Yet the U.S. barely makes it into the top 25 in the "lowest risk" category of Population Action International's new report, behind a few surprising leaders like Croatia and Cuba. Why isn't the U.S. in the top spot? This country has the highest adolescent fertility rate of all developed countries, which leads to higher death and injury rates for young mothers and their infants.

Despite President Bush's veto threat, today the Senate voted, as part of the FY 2008 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, to overturn the Global Gag Rule and other destructive policies impeding U.S. family planning and HIV/AIDS assistance. The Senate foreign assistance bill already included key provisions identical to the House-passed bill (H.R. 2764) -- exempting contraceptives from the Global Gag Rule and repealing the abstinence-only funding restrictions for HIV prevention programs. However, by a vote of 53-41, the Senate went a step further and voted to repeal the Gag Rule entirely. As a result, the bill will help correct some of the most egregious and harmful aspects of U.S. international family planning and reproductive health policy.

Today during debate of the FY 2008 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations, the House Appropriations Committee went on record in strong support of measures to improve the effectiveness of U.S. assistance for family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention programs. This historic action marks a strong rebuke to the Bush Administration's global health policies that have sacrificed comprehensive, evidence-based programs in favor of rigid and ineffective ideological restrictions. The House is expected to take up the bill the week of June 18.

House Takes First Steps to Ensuring that U.S. Aid for Family Planning and HIV/AIDS is Evidence-Based FY 2008 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations