"Having openly criticized other UN member states for voting the United States off the Commission on Human Rights earlier this year, this week the Bush administration has allied itself with some of the worst human rights violators in opposing a fundamental right of young women – access to reproductive health care.
"Joining Sudan, Libya and the Vatican, the White House is fighting to delete language requiring that ‘women and adolescent girls have full access to affordable, quality reproductive health care, from the draft document for the UN Special Session on Children. The U.S. maintains this position despite the fact that reproductive health care is a proven way to reduce maternal and infant mortality, which all parties agree is crucial to improve the lives of children.
"The Bush administration is turning its back on the estimated 1 million U.S. teens that become pregnant each year, the highest rate of teenage pregnancy among industrialized countries. The U.S. action also ignores the alarming spread of HIV among adolescents. Young women and teens make up 64% of those infected with HIV among adolescents aged 13-19 in this country. The administration believes that ‘abstinence-only’ programs are the answer to HIV infection and teenage pregnancy, and wants to add similar language to the declaration. Yet a recent survey reveals that 84% of Americans disagree, believing that sex education should explain how to obtain and use birth control, and how to prevent infections like HIV.
"Zimbabwe, where adolescent girls account for 85% of HIV cases among 15-19 year olds, has put aside cultural sensitivities and acknowledges that condoms should be at the forefront of HIV prevention strategies. President Bush prefers to cling to an abstinence-only agenda that denies adolescents protection from HIV, unwanted pregnancies and reproductive health problems.
"The Center for Reproductive Rights believes that the Bush administration’s policies ignore the fact that reproductive health services can prevent such tragedies and save lives in favor of promoting its own political views."
