On the recordSeptember 4, 1997
each year in the developing world 600,000 women die from pregnancy-related complications. Maternal mortality is the largest single cause of death among women during their reproductive years. That is why support for family planning services is becoming more important every year. Voluntary family planning services give mothers and families new choices and new hope. These services increase child survival, promote safe motherhood. Without support for international family planning, women in developing nations face more unwanted pregnancies, more poverty and more despair. Mr. Chairman, it is ironic that the same people who would deny women in the developing world the choice of an abortion would also seek to eliminate support for family planning programs. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Pelosi- Gilman substitute.
Source
govinfo.gov
