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Why the Global Gag Rule harms women

Wmc Fbomb Global Gag Rule Womens Enews 71119

First introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, the Global Gag Rule prohibits foreign organizations that receive U.S. global health aid from providing abortion services, referring patients to other abortion providers, or even discussing abortion at all, even if those services are provided without U.S. funding. This conservative policyhurts people in developing countries that already have to endure systemic obstacles to access health care.

One of Donald Trump's first acts as president was to reinstate and expand the global gag rule. On June 19, however, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a near $1 trillion spending package that includes reversing many of the Trump administration's anti-choice practices, including the Domestic Gag Rule that bans the use of Title X funding for American family planning clinics that also happen to offer abortion services. 

In an interview to The FBomb, Population Connection Action Fund's Director of Congressional Relations Stacie Murphy talk about how this political tug-of-war over women's bodies is affecting so many livelihoods. 

The FBomb: Public health researchers recently found that the Global Gag Rule has contributed to unsafe abortions. For example, they have increased by 40 percent in sub-Saharan African countries since the rule was put into effect. Why do you think this is and what other problems related to women's health have occurred due to the rule?

Stacie Murphy: The research doesn't surprise us at all—it's an entirely predictable consequence of cutting off family planning aid to the most effective, experienced providers working in these areas. So many health care providers feel they cannot ethically agree to the Global Gag Rule's restrictions. As a result, they lose a large portion—in some cases even the majority—of their funding, and are forced to cut staff and decrease services. It results in fewer people having access to contraception, which of course leads to increases in unintended pregnancies. Cuts to services also often mean loss of services that aren't directly connected to contraceptive access. A clinic that has had to cut its mobile outreach services, for example, won't be able to reach some populations with things like cervical cancer screenings, programs to prevent domestic or gender-based violence, or prenatal exams for wanted pregnancies. The harms of the Global Gag Rule go far beyond increases in unsafe abortion. The Gag Rule ends up cutting off access to all sorts of basic healthcare, not just birth control.  

Who are the political actors who originally supported the Global Gag Rule and are they the same as those who still support it? How have changes in politics affected (or not affected) the rule since then

The Global Gag Rule has always been a Republican policy. Every Republican president since Reagan has supported it; every Democratic president has opposed it. The increasing polarization we've seen playing out in almost all areas of U.S. policy and politics is very evident in this issue. There was, up until a few years ago, a small contingent of pro-family planning Republicans in Congress who acknowledged that the Global Gag Rule was bad policy, but almost all of them are gone now. There are no Republicans left in the House of Representatives who are willing to condemn it. There are only two in the Senate. Under the Trump administration, with Mike Pence in the Vice Presidency and Mike Pompeo running the State Department—two men who had very extreme anti-choice, anti-reproductive health records when they served in the House — we've seen even greater efforts to cut off access to care for people everywhere.

What exactly does the House's new funding bill put forth related to the rule? Which politicians are behind it and why did they decide to take this action now?

The funding bill passed by the House incorporates the language of the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights Act (Global HER Act S.368/H.R. 1055). The sponsors of that bill are Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY). The language included in the funding bill repeals the Global Gag Rule and prohibits a future president from reinstating it. Mrs. Lowey is the chairwoman of the committee responsible for the funding bill that includes international family planning programs, so she was in a position to be able to include the repeal in the bill this year. And with a pro-family planning Democratic majority in the House, they had the votes to get it passed. It's a big step forward in terms of raising the visibility of the Gag Rule and its impacts around the world and creating real momentum for repeal. 

What can we expect next from this bill and what can citizens do to support it? 

The next step is for the Senate to pass its version of the funding bill. They haven't started working on it yet, so we're still waiting to see what happens. Fortunately, the two Senate republicans who oppose the Global Gag Rule are both on the relevant committee. This is a great time for citizens who want to see this policy repealed to reach out to their senators and tell them so. If you're unsure how to do that, you can visit our campaign website at www.iwillfight4her.org to learn more about the Global Gag Rule and what Population Connection Action Fund and our partners all over the country are doing to fight this deadly policy.



More articles by Category: International, Misogyny
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