mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for accepting the amendment , and i would like to note that because of the tsunami most of the midwives lost their lives . 
fully 30 percent of them died in the tsunami , and many of those who survived are still dealing with personal trauma . 
so it is incredibly important that this funding be moved to unfpa , the u.n . 
population fund , to help the tsunami victims and particularly those who need maternal health care services . 
many of my colleagues , including the gentlewoman from new york ( mrs. lowey ) xz4002460 , who has worked so hard on helping women and children , she traveled to the region early this year and was able to witness firsthand the horror along with the gentleman from new york ( mr. crowley ) xz4000870 and the gentlewoman from california ( ms. linda t. snchez ) and others , and they were able to see the work unfpa has been doing to help these people . 
i thank the leadership for accepting the amendment . 
it is an important one . 
we appreciate the consideration . 
my amendment moves $ 3 million from the economic support fund , which has $ 1.06 billion available to the tsunami recovery and reconstruction fund , which now has $ 656 million available . 
it is not subject to a point of order and is both budget authority and outlay neutral . 
the reason for this amendment is very simple : it is to help pregnant women impacted by the tsunami . 
the intent of my amendment is to give $ 3 million to the u.n . 
population fund unfpa , to assist tsunami victims in indonesia , sri lanka , and the maldives for very specific , pressing needs that i am sure we can all agree are absolutely necessary at this time . 
more than 150 , 000 women are currently pregnant in the tsunami-affected areas , including 50 , 000 anticipated to give birth during the next three months . 
unfpa is determined to enhance the likelihood of deliveries occurring in safe and clean conditions by providing emergency care , basic supplies and helping to rebuild health care facilities . 
they are uniquely qualified to provide these services . 
in fact , they are and have been on the ground since that tragic day , helping save the lives of women and children . 
with these funds , unfpa can provide safe delivery kits : soap , plastic sheeting , razor blades , string and gloves ; personal hygiene kits : sanitary napkins , soap , laundry detergent , dental supplies ; reestablish maternal health services ; prevent and treat cases of violence against women and youth offer psychological support and counseling ; and promote access of unaccompanied women to vital services . 
each of these areas is a serious problem and will go a long way toward helping save the lives of thousands of women and their children . 
disasters put pregnant women at greater than normal risk because of the sudden loss of medical support , compounded in many cases by trauma , malnutrition , disease or exposure to violence . 
in times of high stress , pregnant women are more prone to miscarriage or to premature labor , both of which require medical care . 
the infrastructure for helping pregnant women in the tsunami region is severely damaged . 
1 , 650 of the indonesian midwife association 's 5 , 500 members -- fully 30 percent -- died in the tsunami . 
many of those who survived are still dealing with personal trauma and the loss of equipment used to safely deliver babies . 
about 15 percent of pregnancies under normal conditions require urgent assistance from midwives or doctors to ensure the health and survival of the babies and mothers . 
many maternity hospitals , women 's health clinics , and other infrastructure for providing health services to women , maternal health assistance , safe delivery , contraceptives , emergency obstetric care , and preventing sexually transmitted diseases have been destroyed by the tsunami . 
mr. chairman , to date , the united states has provided no funding to the u.n . 
population fund to help tsunami victims . 
the last time the united states contributed resources to unfpa was $ 600 , 000 for similar kinds of emergency assistance in afghanistan in 2001 . 
we have several colleagues who traveled to the region earlier this year and witnessed the horror of the tragedy . 
they were able to see the work unfpa has been doing to help these women . 
i hope that they will be able to relay their experiences today . 
it is time to put politics aside . 
these people have suffered enough . 
we must do everything we can to help them . 
