CATHERINE HEANEY,
Madam, - In his letter questioning "the record of the EU in moral matters" (October 15th), Father Pat Ingoldsby referred to the United Nations Population Fund supporting forced abortion in China.
For the record, the UNFPA is working to move China's policies away from coercive and towards voluntary family planning that respects human rights and dignity and that is in line with international agreements. In all Chinese states where the UNFPA operates its programme, abortion rates have fallen.
Indeed, the UNFPA does not support or advocate abortion anywhere in the world.
In May, an independent assessment team was mandated by the US State Department to investigate allegations of a UNFPA association with China's one-child policy. That team reported: "In sum, based on what we heard, saw and read, we find no evidence that the UNFPA has knowingly supported or participated in the management of a programme of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation in the People's Republic of China. Indeed, UNFPA has registered its strong opposition to such practices".
The US president's decision to withhold UNFPA funding this year, even though it had been granted by Congress, has drawn heavy criticism from around the world, including Ireland.
The decision will result in the return of back-street abortions in some regions. Lack of adequate funding for UNFPA will result in the withdrawal of life-saving reproductive healthcare and family planning services to some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. Is this moral? - Yours, etc.,
CATHERINE HEANEY, Acting Chief Executive, Irish Family Planning Association, Pearse Street, Dublin 2.