An official appointed by President Donald Trump said during a closed-door United Nations meeting that the “US is a pro-life country”, despite the fact both the law and public opinion support a woman’s right to access legal and safe abortion.

Bethany Kozma, a senior adviser in the office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment for US Agency for International Development (USAID), made the statement while countries negotiated the final document of the ongoing, annual women’s rights conference.

Two diplomats at the UN, who asked not to be named, and charities serving as UN observers, were able to confirm the comment to The Independent and Ms Kozma’s continued presence during negotiations the next day.

As part of the negotiations on the roughly 70-page outcome document, issued every year at the end of the conference, Ms Kozma and the US delegation also called for deleting any mention of the phrase “modern contraceptives” and replacing it with the phrase “family planning” in order to push policies like abstinence-only sexual education.

A US official told The Independent: “While we can’t comment on ongoing diplomatic negotiations, the multi-agency US delegation is representing the administration’s policies and priorities at the CSW [United Nations Commission on the Status of Women]. Also, in response to your question related to US support for women’s health, as the world’s largest bilateral donor to global health programmes, the US remains committed to helping women and children thrive, particularly in countries where the need is greatest.”

A UN diplomat said the statement was “shocking” and that it demonstrated a “weaker” and “lower” position on reproductive rights than Saudi Arabia or the Holy See, representing the Vatican. In the context of the UN, “reproductive health” refers to issues surrounding maternal health, prenatal care, sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, and other related issues but not necessarily or only abortion.

Thousands march in Dublin to change abortion laws

“While previous Republican administrations took anti-choice and anti-abortion positions, they were still generally in line with accepted frameworks that recognised the importance and centrality of sexual and reproductive rights,” said Akila Radhakrishnan, acting president and legal director of the Global Justice Centre.

Ms Kozma, who failed to respond to requests for comment, previously held positions in the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, during the administration of president George W Bush. She left government service to focus on raising her children before accepting an appointment in Mr Trump’s administration.

In between, Ms Kozma became known for her writing at right-wing sites like the Daily Signal, a publication of the Heritage Foundation think tank, and espousing anti-transgender views. Her most high-profile campaign was launched in 2016 against the Obama administration’s guidance that transgender students should be allowed to use the bathroom of their choosing in public schools.

She wrote at the time that “a boy claiming gender confusion must now be allowed in the same shower, bathroom, or locker room with my daughter under the president’s transgender policies... When I learned that predators could abuse these new policies to hurt children in school lockers, shelters, pool showers, or other vulnerable public places like remote bathrooms in national parks, I realised I had to do something”.

Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Show all 35 1 /35 Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London Women's rights demonstrators hold placards and shout slogans during the Time's Up rally at Richmond Terrace, opposite Downing Street in London. Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London The Time's Up initiative was launched at the start of January 2018 as a response to the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Berlin Women's March in Berlin. EPA Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London The Time's Up Women's March marks the one year anniversary of the first Women's March in London and in 2018 it is inspired by the Time's Up movement against sexual abuse. Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Paris Women hold a banner reading "still feminist" with the Eiffel tower in background on the Trocadero esplanade in Paris. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London Protesters hold up placards at the Women's March in central London. Rex Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Paris A demonstator hold signs on the Trocadero esplanade in Paris during a women's march organised as part of global protests. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London Chanting Times Up in the cold rain - On the anniversary of the Women's March on London. Rex Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York Thousands of people gather holding protest signs on Central Park West. EPA Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York Demonstrators take part in the Women's March in Manhattan Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Chicago A woman holds a sign during the Second Annual Womens March in Chicago AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People gather near Central Park before the beginning of the Women's March in New York Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington Supporters gather during the Women's March in Washington AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York The crowd lines up near Central Park Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Chicago Demostrators attend the Second Annual Womens March in Chicago AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York Thousands hold signs and rally while attending the Women’s March in New York Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People gather near Central Park before the beginning of the Women's March in New York Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington People participate in the second annual Women's March in Washington Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People hold signs up during the women's march Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Philadelphia Oscar Janicki, 6, participates in the Second Annual Women's March in Philadelphia Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Philadelphia Crowds gather to participate in the Second Annual Women's March in Philadelphia Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington People participate in the second annual Women's March in Washington Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York Women pose as they attend the second annual National Womens March in New York City AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington People participate in the second annual Women's March in Washington Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People gather prior to the second annual National Womens March in New York City AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People take part in the Women's March in Manhattan Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People gather the second annual National Womens March AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington People participate in the Second Annual Women's March in Washington Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome A woman holds a banner reading "Womwn united will never be defeated" during Rome Resists demonstration part of the Women's March in downtown. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome Italian actress Asia Argento (3rdL) attends the Rome Resists demonstration part of the Women's March in downtown Rome. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome The Women's March Rome, designed to show solidarity for the protection of civil and social rights, women's rights and the environment included Italian actress Asia Argento, one of the first women to accuse US film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Zurich A US citizen holds a poster on the anniversary of the inauguration of President Trump apologising to the world on behalf of her country, in Zurich, Switzerland. A year after millions of people took to the streets across the US and countries around the world, women's marches are being held in lots of cities this weekend. EPA Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People take part in the Women's March in Manhattan Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome A woman holds a banner reading "The rising of the women means rising of us all" during Rome Resists demonstration. AFP/Getty Images Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome A woman lifts her fist while holding a banner reading "Hear our voice" during Rome Resists demonstration. AFP/Getty

This is not the first time conservative views have been pushed by such fringe groups since Nikki Haley became the US Ambassador to the UN. Last year, at the same conference, in the absence of appointed administration officials, Ms Haley invited the Centre for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM) to represent the US. It is a think tank that has been labelled as a “hate group” for their international anti-LGBTQ advocacy work and violent rhetoric by the Southern Poverty Law Centre, a legal advocacy organisation which specialises in the protection of civil rights.

“Conservative NGOs have worked their way into the administration and are twisting the US position into something that does not respect our domestic laws,” one diplomat said.

Since the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court case Roe v Wade, each state has been allowed to decide its own abortion laws before the foetus becomes viable. While a number of states are trying to reduce access to abortion – Mississippi politicians recently passed legislation to ban abortions beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy – polling by the Pew Research Centre last year found 57 per cent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. The same polling found 40 per cent believed abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.

As Jessica Stern, the executive director of OutRight Action International told The Independent: “It comes as little surprise that now [Ms Kozma] is mischaracterising the status of abortion for Americans, which is most certainly legal” in several US states.

Ms Stern said that though Ms Kozma is a “disrupter, plain and simple, with a long history of opposing women’s rights and gender justice... and seems to reserve a special hatred for transgender children,” there is an even larger issue at play. “Someone who doesn’t respect American law and who opposes the principles of gender equality should not be empowered to negotiate on behalf of the US government,” she said, noting that Ms Kozma’s appearance as part of the US delegation has thus far been in closed-door meetings with only diplomats.

Many see the development as further evidence of Mr Trump’s distaste for the UN, which he has previously called a “good time club”. According to Shannon Kowalski, director of advocacy and policy at the International Women’s Health Coalition, the administration is trying to paint an “extreme position at the [UN conference on women] that…[is] out of touch with women and girls in the US and around the world”.

“The US government must prevent this wildcard from subverting American law in the negotiations,” Ms Stern said.