Chris Smith: “As the world's last remaining superpower, the United States plays a very important role in international affairs.…”

“As the world's last remaining superpower, the United States plays a very important role in international affairs. Everything it does is scrutinized and interpreted, and in many cases, our country is looked up to as a role model. Therefore, we have to take everything very seriously, and the decisions that we make we have to take seriously, especially those decisions about the kinds of policies we want to pursue in other countries. In this particular case, the debate is about the kinds of family planning organizations we want to assist with funding. According to the State of World Population, 1997, compiled by the U.N. Population Fund, the United States is the largest donor to international family planning programs, contributing about 47 percent of all the external population control moneys worldwide. So, therefore, it is even more important that we in the United States pursue international family planning principles that are consistent with the kinds of values we want to represent and promote.”