Concerned Women for America - Crouse Counters UNFPA Leader’s Remarks

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Saturday, July 31, 2010

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Crouse Counters UNFPA Leader’s Remarks 2/6/2009

Washington, D.C. — A representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Arie Hoekman from the Netherlands, recently spoke about family breakdown at a colloquium in Mexico City. In his remarks, Mr. Hoekman declared that family breakdown is a triumph for human rights — that divorce and out-of-wedlock births indicate the decline of patriarchy, a goal to be lauded. His remarks came only days after Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderon, spoke at the World Meeting of Families in Mexico City, where the breakdown of the family was described as a “crisis.” Hoekman countered by claiming that only those who “only recognize one type of family” think the current situation is a crisis.

Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Senior Fellow of Concerned Women for America’s Beverly LaHaye Institute, responded, “How ironic that those who created the crisis are denying that crisis. The data is in, and the experts agree that single-mother families and father absence have created a family structure that is detrimental to women and dangerous for children’s well-being. How can those who claim to want the best for women and children work to promote and subsidize policies and programs that have proven to produce exactly the opposite result? The married mother-father family (the natural or traditional family) is not just good for women and children; it is best for them in every regard.”

Crouse continued, “Family structure is vitally important for children; they need both a mother and a father in order to thrive. Negative outcomes are characteristic of all other types of family structure — from poor performance at school to involvement in drugs. No responsible person should deny the evidence that is corroborated in study after study about the best home environment for women and children.”

Crouse said, “Mr. Hoekman praised the ‘weakening of the patriarchal structure’ and the ‘new values’ made possible by the United States’ change of policy that increases the economic base for UNFPA. This man actually admitted that the goal of the United Nations is to promote ‘new values’ around the world. Sadly, those who closely watch the U.N. have seen that goal of promoting new values implemented in numerous policies in nations around the world.”

Crouse explained the UNFPA’s new outlook: “The official United States policy during the Bush administration was to deny funding for foreign organizations that promoted or provided abortions; that policy meant no funding for UNFPA. Nevertheless, the UNFPA continued to support and subsidize China’s One-Child Policy and to help fund sterilizations worldwide. When the Obama administration overturned the Mexico City Policy, the U.S. restored UNFPA funding. Now they will be better able to broaden their impact around the world.”