Women 'using web for abortions'

In a story about United Nations World Population Day from ipsnews.net:

As the United Nations focused on family planning this year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Friday: "The rate of death for women as they give birth remains the starkest indicator of the disparity between rich and poor, both within and among countries."

He said the benefits of family planning remain out of reach for many, especially for those who often have the hardest time getting the information and services they need to plan their families.

Demand will only increase, he said, as more than one billion people ages 15-24 enter their reproductive years.

UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid says that maternal deaths and disability could be reduced dramatically if every woman had access to health services throughout her life, especially during pregnancy and childbirth.

. . .
"Urgent action is needed because the goal to improve maternal health is generating the least resources and lagging the furthest behind," Obaid told IPS.

The lack of resources to prevent maternal mortality comes at a time when the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush has consistently withheld funds for UNFPA -- most recently last week -- primarily for domestic political reasons.

Asked how funding cuts will impact on family planning and reproductive health in developing nations, Tamara Kreinin, executive director of Women and Population at the United Nations Foundation, said: "The impact of the U.S. withholding funding from UNFPA for the past seven years has had serious implications for women and girls around the world."

She said the 34 million dollars that the United States has withheld each year is close to 10 percent of UNFPA's regular income.