World Bank Board Delays Decision On Updating Health Strategy After European Members Object To Changes In Family Planning Policy

The World Bank Board of Directors on Tuesday deferred a decision on updating the bank's health strategy after several European members objected to a U.S.-backed proposal that would require family planning services, including abortions, to be provided only to people of a certain age, bank officials said, the Wall Street Journal reports (Hitt, Wall Street Journal, 4/25). Directors from Belgium, France, Germany and Norway in a letter dated April 19 demanded that the bank endorse family planning programs, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (AFP/Yahoo! News, 4/25). According to bank sources, Whitney Debevoise, the U.S. representative on the board, proposed changing the phrase "reproductive health services" to "age appropriate access to sexual and reproductive health care" into the bank's Strategy for Health, Nutrition and Population Results, Reuters reports. Representatives from France, Germany, Italy and Norway during the meeting on Tuesday objected to the proposal, sources said (Reuters, 4/24). According to the New York Times, some bank officials said that the dispute was resolved by the end of the day and that the word "services" stayed in the report (Weisman, New York Times, 4/25). World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz earlier this month said there has not been any change to bank policy on family planning, adding, "We have a new health strategy going to the board, which I think makes it very clear, and I want to make it clear, personally: I think reproductive health is absolutely crucial to what I have said over and over again is a major part of the development agenda, which is making sure that women can contribute equally with men" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/16). According to Reuters, the World Bank has loaned more than $3 billion for more than 30 years for population and reproductive health programs, which include preventing HIV/AIDS, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy-related illnesses and deaths (Reuters, 4/24).

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