Planned Parenthood reports that:
"The Fifth Asia and Pacific Population Conference closed today [December 17] with a resounding victory for reproductive health and rights. Despite the heavy handed tactics of the U.S. delegation, Asia-Pacific countries rejected the Bush Administration's anti-health and anti-women agenda. In an effort to advance their agenda to overturn laws and policies that protect reproductive freedom, the Bush Administration made explicit their position that life begins at conception, attempting to pave the way for eliminating access to abortion in the U.S. and around the world. U.S. proposals to water down sex education, promote abstinence until marriage as the centerpiece of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, and undermine efforts to prevent unsafe abortions and its consequences were met with resounding opposition.

"Throughout the week, senior officials from countries as diverse as India, Pakistan, China, Turkey, Fiji, New Zealand, Iran, Indonesia and the Philippines spoke forcefully against the Bush Administration. In the end, every nation spoke one-by-one opposing each of the Bush Administration's anti-health proposals and stood united in their support of reproductive health and rights for the world's citizens."

Can you believe that Bush's reps to this conference put us on the opposite side of the Choice fence from Iran?!!! This Bush administration is fearfully dangerous to the health of women.

For more information read Planned Parenthood's press release [http://www.plannedparenthood.org/global/news/viewer.asp?ID=289] or Yahoo's press release [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021217/ap_on_re_as/population_conference_1]. "BANGKOK, Thailand - The United States lost a vote at an international conference Tuesday as Asia-Pacific countries rejected the Bush administration's stand against abortion and condom use among adolescents..."