Global Gag Rule Lifted!

[Ysobelle]

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50M3PQ20090123


Obama removes restrictions on abortion funding


Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:12am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday will lift restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, reversing a policy of his Republican predecessor George W. Bush, an administration official said.

"It will be today. He's going to make an executive order (lifting the global gag rule)," the official said.

The Democratic president's decision is a victory for advocates of abortion rights on an issue that has become a tit-for-tat policy change each time the White House shifts from one party to the other in recent years.

When the ban was in place, no U.S. government funding for family planning services could be given to clinics or groups that offer abortion services or counseling in other countries even if the funds for those activities come from non-U.S. government sources.

It has been called the Mexico City Policy because it was unveiled at a United Nations conference there in 1984 and became one of the centerpiece social policies of the conservative administration of Republican former President Ronald Reagan.

Former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, rescinded the rule when he took office in January 1993 and his successor, Republican George W. Bush, reinstated it in January 2001.

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserv

[KissMeKate]

I know it goes back and forth depending on who's the President, but I for one will welcome 4 years of funding, research, and care for all those who need it.

I think it's bogus to use the negative connotations and thoughts about abortion and AIDS to prevent funding and care for people in need.

[Bronya]

No matter how people feel about the situation, at least now we can move forward. I was happy to read this this AM.

[Alluring Alora]

::yay::He's not wasting any time is he?? He deserves a big ol' "Atta boy"!

[daBaroness]

I love this - even got a jubulent email from Planned Parenthood last night!

But it really sticks in my craw, quite frankly, that MEN keep playing political yo-yo with OUR reproductive rights and choices.

Damn I wish men could get pregnant and know what it feels like - whether it's emotional euphoria or emotional horror to the worry about complications, the stretch marks, the hormones and the pain of birthing a child then trying to get your pre-baby body back with some woman nagging at him!

If wishes were horses ...

[Sorcha Griannon]

I was just coming here to post this. :)

Here's a form letter to say thanks through PP.
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/thankobama?rk=E1MZzN41WCEKE


Sorcha

[Rue]

I'm a little confused about this. Are US funds being used for research or to give abortions in other countries? I'm all pro-choice, so I'm not saying this is a terrible thing or anything, I'm just a little confused based on what I've read about the global gag rule, both in that article and in other ones as well. Could someone please explain what exactly the global gag rule entails?

[Branwen]

As far as I understand the wording the rule was put in place to prevent or stop U.S. funding to overseas Non-profits that would perform, counsel or provide info on abortions and birth control. This rule also prevented U.S. funding to overseas non-profits that assisted in aid to 3rd World Countries for other programs such as AIDS/HIV education (promotes use of condoms in 3rd W.C's), child/infant education (how to raise healthy children & how to extend time between children), and other serious diseases such as TB, asthma, diabetes, HBP. You name it it was effected by the Global Gag Rule. It also limited or stopped funding to non-profits who worked overseas for stem cell research. It's more of a rule based on personal morals and beliefs instead of actually working to help prevent and stop many diseases that are passed along due to uneducated peoples regarding sex and casual contact.

Think of the Clinton definition of sex. Oral sex isn't included in that definition, however it does pass along many other "social diseases" if the individuals are not protected.

[Rue]

Aaaah, ok, thank you! :-D

[Ysobelle]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_City_Policy


The Mexico City Policy, also known as the Mexico City Gag Rule and the Global Gag Rule,[1] was an intermittent United States government policy that required all non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive federal funding to refrain from performing or promoting abortion services in other countries. The policy is a political flashpoint in the abortion debate, with Republican administrations adopting it and Democratic administrations rescinding it. The policy was in place from 1984 through January 1993, was reinstituted in January 2001, and was rescinded in January 2009.[2]


In essence, if an agency in another country performed abortions, or even counseled women on abortion as an option, or referred her to a place where she could get an abortion, as part of its services, it got no funding from the US under the GGR. Even if it did important work in family planning and health areas, they were cut off if they performed this one service.

Go read the Wiki entry-- it'll explain a bit more. But I don't think, it actually has to do with stem cell research.

[Ysobelle]

Also, an excellent article in Friday's Guardian:



http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23/barack-obama-foreign-abortion-aid

Obama reverses 'global gag rule' on family planning organisations

Daniel Nasaw in Washington

guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 January 2009 16.23 GMT

President Barack Obama today made the most contentious move of his young administration with an order, overturning a ban on federal funds to foreign family planning organisations that either offer abortions or provide information or counselling about abortion.

The rule change continues the dismantling of George Bush's conservative policies. It is likely to encounter fierce criticism from the still robust anti-abortion movement.

It will allow US aid, usually through the US agency for international development, to flow to HIV/Aids clinics, birth-control providers and other organisations that advocate or provide counselling about abortion across the world. It is known as the "global gag rule" because it denies US taxpayer dollars to clinics that even mention abortion to women with unplanned pregnancies.

The rule was signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, overturned by Bill Clinton in 1993, and reinstated by Bush. Critics of the rule say it deprives the world's poor women of desperately needed medical care, while proponents say US tax dollars should not promote abortion.

Family planning groups in America and the UK cheered the rule change. Dr Gill Greer, director general of London-based International Planned Parenthood Federation, estimated the gag rule had cost the group more than $100m for family planning and sexual and reproductive health programmes during the eight years of the Bush administration, which she said amounted to 36 million unplanned pregnancies and 15 million induced abortions.

"The gag rule has done immense harm and caused untold suffering to millions around the world," she said in a statement. "It has undermined health systems and endangered the lives and health of the poorest and most vulnerable women on the planet by denying access to life saving family planning, sexual and reproductive health and HIV services and exposing them to the dangers of unsafe abortion."

While Obama has spent the first two days of his presidency overturning Bush policies, for example restricting US interrogation practices of terror suspects and an order pledging to close the US prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, those were backed by a broad political consensus. Abortion, however, remains a bitterly contentious issue, as evidenced by the thousands of people who marched in Washington yesterday opposing abortion rights.

Yesterday was the 36th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade, which guaranteed a woman's right to choose abortion.

While both Clinton and Bush used the Roe v Wade anniversary to change US policy on abortion, Obama declined yesterday. He instead issued a statement reaffirming his commitment "to protecting a woman's right to choose".

"On the 36th anniversary of Roe v Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters," he said.

The rule comes as no surprise. During the president campaign Hillary Clinton, who as secretary of state will oversee foreign aid, pledged to end the rule.

The rule change "would be huge," California Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado told National Public Radio. "By the US restricting women's rights to reproductive planning internationally, it really destroys their lives. Because they can't control the size of their family, that affects their use of resources and food and child nutrition and so many other things. The way to increase the stability in Third World countries, frankly, is for sensible family planning."

[lavender r dragon]

In essence, if an agency in another country performed abortions, or even counseled women on abortion as an option, or referred her to a place where she could get an abortion, as part of its services, it got no funding from the US under the GGR. Even if it did important work in family planning and health areas, they were cut off if they performed this one service.

Go read the Wiki entry-- it'll explain a bit more. But I don't think, it actually has to do with stem cell research.

basically lets say x runs a clinic and most of the time they dealt with child nutrition/chicken pox/vaccines/etc but every once in a while they would see a pregnant woman and say "well you can have the baby, and i'll do my best to keep it healthy, or you can have an abortion" (which the mother might want since she can barely keep her other 3 healthy). the clinic then would not receive any money from the us government b/c they mentioned abortion (possibly causing the clinic to reduce services or even close and now none of the 3, possibly 4, children have what they need). correct?

were they allowed to talk about contraceptives (sp?)?

[Ysobelle]

basically lets say x runs a clinic and most of the time they dealt with child nutrition/chicken pox/vaccines/etc but every once in a while they would see a pregnant woman and say "well you can have the baby, and i'll do my best to keep it healthy, or you can have an abortion" (which the mother might want since she can barely keep her other 3 healthy). the clinic then would not receive any money from the us government b/c they mentioned abortion (possibly causing the clinic to reduce services or even close and now none of the 3, possibly 4, children have what they need). correct?

were they allowed to talk about contraceptives (sp?)?

Correct. And in some cases, contraceptives were also on the no-talk list. I'll have to look more closely at that when I come home tonight.

[Ysobelle]

Okay. Contraceptives seem not to have been specifically addressed in the GGR, but were, of course, severely affected by it. Clinics that offered a full range of services-- including contraceptives-- were forced to sign the pledge or stop getting any US funding. The US policy of abstinence-only education was a sick joke in countries where women are raped routinely, or never get the chance to go to school in the first place, or are forced by multiple socioeconomic factors into prostitution or...you get the picture.

This article from the San Francisco Chronicle paints a better picture of on-the-ground effects.



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/25/EDDS15G5IF.DTL


Lifting of global gag rule celebrated worldwide
Shalini Nataraj
Monday, January 26, 2009

OPEN FORUM

President Obama's overturn of the "global gag rule" on Friday was greeted with loud cries of joy by women around the world. Initially put in place by President Reagan, then re-instated by President George W. Bush on his first day of office in 2001, the policy prohibits U.S. funding for organizations that speak about abortion to women and girls seeking reproductive and family planning services. The rule has used the excuse of preserving the lives of unborn babies to jeopardize the health, safety and lives of millions of women and girls.

Over the past eight years, when we've traveled internationally to meet with women whose reproductive health programs we have supported, we have heard poignant stories of the devastating effect this policy has had on women in their communities.

The policy blocks federal funds for organizations that provide abortions and any abortion-related services, or advocate in any way to make abortion legal or safe. We have heard firsthand from grantees who have suffered the consequences of the lack of funding caused by this rule.

Esther Adama's group in Ghana, the Women's Hope Foundation, is one of the few operations there where particularly vulnerable populations of women in rural areas have access to health education, job training and the family planning services that will help reduce teenage pregnancy and protect them from HIV/AIDS. According to Adama, high rates of unwanted pregnancy lead to adolescents seeking out risky abortions that are performed in deplorable and unsanitary conditions. In a country where there is a critical need to expand comprehensive reproductive health services, an estimated 600,000 men and women have lost access to family planning services, counseling and HIV/AIDS prevention education when courageous local family planning clinics refused to sign the gag rule, Adama said.

This scenario has played out in dozens of countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, South Asia and Eastern Europe, family planning services have been cut and contraceptive supplies lost to organizations working to stem the spread of HIV have lost funding.

What's the reasoning behind this policy? Promoting abstinence-only programs will reduce unwanted pregnancies. And preventing women from having access to abortions will reduce the number of abortions. The results, however, have been grossly different. Many women were unable to get the information and contraceptives they needed to prevent unwanted pregnancies, so the incidence of unplanned pregnancies and abortions actually increased.

Ipas, an international organization that works to prevent abortion-related deaths, estimates that more than 500,000 women have died from unsafe abortions during the eight-year tenure of the Bush administration because they have not had access to legal and safe abortions.

Hundreds of thousands more have suffered grievous injury as a result of botched abortions. The global gag rule's pernicious effects have been compounded by the imposition of the vaguely worded "anti-prostitution pledge" that organizations receiving U.S. government funding are also forced to sign.

Here too, the reasoning behind this pledge is that by denying services or outreach to those who work as prostitutes, prostitution will be abolished, and HIV/AIDS will be reduced. But the reality is otherwise, because women enter sex work for a variety of deeply entrenched sociocultural and economic reasons that must be addressed before prostitution can be reduced. This means that organizations that work with sex workers are threatened with a loss of funding for serving those most in need of information and protection from HIV/AIDS.

In an era when the AIDS pandemic is raging through entire populations, such ideologically driven policies are not practical, and thus amount to sentencing tens of thousands to deaths.

These are preventable deaths; ones that might be prevented with more funding for holistic, culturally appropriate and realistic reproductive health programs.

These policies have been resounding failures. Worldwide, unplanned pregnancies are on the rise, HIV/AIDS is rampant as unprotected sex increases.

Too many people have already died because of these policies. With his signature, President Obama is sending a powerful message to the world that the United States values human life and women's rights over ideology.



Shalini Nataraj is the vice president of programs for the Global Fund for Women. Since its inception 21 years ago, the fund has provided more than $64 million to women-led organization. Of this amount, $18 million has gone to 1,600 organizations in 126 countries that work on reproductive health and rights.

This article appeared on page B - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle

[Branwen]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_City_Policy
Go read the Wiki entry-- it'll explain a bit more. But I don't think, it actually has to do with stem cell research.


Thanks for the clarification. I wasn't exactly sure the exact limitations on the rule.

[Lady Laurel]

I was so excited to see this....like DeBarroness I just about choked listening to men on CNN and FOX talk about how terrible this was... It makes me very angry this does not even have anything to do with them. If someone is going to talk for or against it put a women up there then I will listen. Yes I think things are starting to move forward....