Letter to President Bush supports UN Population Fund.

The Brethren Witness/Washington Office has sent a letter to President Bush regarding funding of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The letter dated April 20 was signed by Phil Jones as director of the office, which is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board.

The letter described the fund as “an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man, and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity,” and said the fund supports countries in “using population data for policies and programs to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.”

Referring to the action of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in support of the UN Millennium Development Goals, the letter stated in part, “One of the most critical concerns of our church today is the inadequate healthcare and support of women in our world. Repeated studies have shown that due to inadequate healthcare, poor nourishment, lack of education, and other conditions and situations brought on by poverty and hunger that millions of women are at risk in regards to their health, and most often the health of their children.”

The Millennium Development Goals recognize specific goals of education and empowerment of women, reduction of child mortality, and care for the maternal health of women.

In other news from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, an action alert on May 31 invited Brethren to support efforts against the use of torture. The office has joined ecumenical partners and other communities of faith and faith-based organizations in endorsing a statement by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. The office also is encouraging attendance at a June 26 “Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice” in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and the Leadership Council on Civil Rights. Find information at http://action.aclu.org/site/DocServer/flyer-v2_sm_a.pdf?docID=1361.

Another upcoming event receiving support is the Jubilee USA Conference at Loyola University in Chicago on June 15-17. Jubilee USA Network is an alliance of 75 religious denominations, faith communities, and other groups, including the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, working for the cancellation of crushing debts to fight poverty and injustice in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. For more visit www.jubileeusa.org.

Contact the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at 337 N. Carolina Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003; 800-785-3246; washington_office_gb@brethren.org.

Source: 06/06/2007 Newsline