On US’ withdrawal from UNFPA

THIS week, the Donald Trump-led administration in the United States announced that it would part ways with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an agency that promotes family planning in more than 150 countries.

In total $32.5m (£26m) in funds will be withdrawn for the 2017 financial year, being the first of the promised cuts to US financial contributions to the UN by the Trump administration.

According to the US State Department, the agency supports or participates in coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation in China.

A statement by the State Department said: “This determination was made based on the fact that China’s family planning policies still involve the use of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilisation, and UNFPA partners on family planning activities with the Chinese government agency responsible for these coercive policies.”

That decision did not come as a surprise to pundits who were familiar with Trump’s nationalistic posture on world affairs, his America-First policy and stringent opposition to government funding of abortions, home and abroad.

But the UNFPA says this is an “erroneous claim”, and that its work does not break any US laws.

I think that before excoriating the Trump administration on this latest move, it is necessary to consider investigating the allegations it leveled against UNFPA. Coercive abortions arereprehensible; in fact, they are a crime against humanity.

Stanley Okechukwu,

Abuja.