Is India Using U.S. Sterilization Funds for Population Control?

A group of women lay on the hospital floor, like beggars on the side of the streets, two unconscious and fighting for their life after a botched sterilization procedure. A doctor had chipped one of the women’s bladders as he rushed to snip his target. . .

Was the family fully informed about the risks and side effects of the procedure? Did they receive proper counselling, or were they lured and rushed into the program? Did they receive instructions about post-operative care? Were the doctors given targets to be achieved, and compensation for each procedure?

These are just some of the questions that scream for our attention. The answer tells whether these family planning programs violate the Tiahrt Amendment—the statutory requirement pertaining to U.S. tax dollars spent on global contraception programs like this sterilization camp. . .

India is one of the largest USAID recipients, receiving an average of $100 million each year. The money India receives for contraception is relatively higher than the total it receives for basic health. It’s highly critical for the USAID administration to ensure statutory compliance so that U.S. taxpayer money does not fuel human right abuses and targeted population control abroad.

Around 4 million sterilizations and 6 million IUD insertions were performed in India in 2017. Close to 200 million IUD insertions and 200 million sterilizations were performed in the country in just six years (2010-2016). USAID disbursements for the corresponding period add up to $100 million. This is money dedicated exclusively for contraception and does not include funds for other population policies and maternal health. (Read more from “Is India Using U.S. Sterilization Funds for Population Control?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE