Sir, - Let me begin by stating that UNICEF has never supported abortion services of any kind, and no UNICEF funds go to support abortion. Additionally, UNICEF does not promote or support abortion as a method of family planning, and never has. That is the policy position of the organisation and governs all of our work for women and children worldwide.
This claim is made sometimes about UNICEF because we work with such a vast and diverse network of partners, including governments, civil society groups and other UN agencies. It is therefore easy to mix up our mission and policies with the mission and policies of others. The facts, however remain: UNICEF does not spend a single penny on abortion services, and has never promoted abortion as a method of family planning. In fact, we believe that responsible planning of family size leads to healthier mothers, healthier children, fewer abortions, and stronger families.
UNICEF strongly supports providing information, education and communication to women and families on the benefits of child spacing and responsible planning of family size. Birth spacing alone provides enormous health benefits to both mother and child.
At the same time, UNICEF does not support or promote any specific method of family planning. It is our conviction that family planning methods are more appropriately decided by individuals in conformity with their social, religious and cultural values. The range of family planning concepts now available, along with the knowledge gained through practical experience in recent years, means that responsible family planning can be achieved in ways that are sensitive to the religious and cultural values of almost all societies.
The reproductive health services to which UNICEF may provide support include: basic obstetric care; planning of safe delivery; prevention of treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; provision of information and education on reproductive health; free and confidential HIV testing and counselling.
Specifically, UNICEF did not support abortion as a "legal service, of good quality and accessible to all women" at the 1987 International Conference to Improve the Health of Women and Children. UNICEF has never, in the history of the organisation, pressed to have abortion legalised in countries where it was illegal. The withdrawal, in 1996, by the Vatican of its symbolic annual contribution to UNICEF was based on its concern about UNICEF contributing to a report which included an article by another UN agency on the issue of post-coital contraception for women who had been raped in war situations.
UNICEF has never distributed abortifacient substances in Rwanda or Zaire or anywhere else for that matter. UNICEF'S 1996 Annual Report, which we have thoroughly reviewed, does not include the description of abortion as "one of the most effective means to combat poverty". UNICEF does not believe that abortion is an effective means of combating poverty, so any kind of similar description would never be included in any of our publications.
I trust that this clarifies UNICEF's position on the matter of abortion finally. - Yours etc.,
Maura Quinn, Executive Director, UNICEF Ireland, Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1.