The Fourth Anniversary of the Global Gag Rule
January 22, 2004 marks the fourth anniversary of President George W.
Bush's order to reinstate the Global Gag Rule. The "gag rule's" restrictions,
which would be unconstitutional if applied in the United States, jeopardize
the health of women and their families by prohibiting foreign nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) from receiving U.S. family planning funds if they
provide information, counseling, or referrals for abortion services—even
if they do so with their own funds, even if abortion is legal, and
even if a woman's health depends on it. As a result, these NGOs have
been forced to choose between desperately needed family planning funds
and the ability to provide medically ethical and accurate information
to women in some of the poorest countries in the world.
In 2003, the collaborative Global Gag Rule Impact Project, in which
EngenderHealth played an important part, released a landmark report—"Access
Denied: U.S. Restrictions on International Family Planning." It
included four compelling case studies setting out the results of a careful
investigation in Ethiopia, Kenya, Romania, and Zambia and documenting
the impact of the gag rule on family planning and critical HIV prevention
services. Updated information and new case studies for Ethiopia, Ghana,
Tanzania, and Zimbabwe will soon be available online at www.globalgagrule.org.
The Global Gag Rule Impact Project is a coalition of reproductive health
care organizations led by Population
Action International in partnership
with Ipas and Planned Parenthood Federation
of America and with assistance
in gathering field evidence from EngenderHealth and Pathfinder
International.
While the missions of these organizations are diverse, the coalition
is united in its commitment to advancing reproductive health and rights
and in the belief that policies governing U.S. assistance should be based
on evidence and should reflect established public health practices.
EngenderHealth provides technical assistance, training, and information
to support family planning, maternal health care, and HIV/AIDS in countries
where basic health care needs are urgent. As a result of the Global Gag
Rule, EngenderHealth has had to end its support for important nongovernmental
partners in our family planning programs in Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, and
other countries.
This page last updated December 7, 2008 18:53 .