What Is the Global Gag Rule?
The global gag rule (also known as the Mexico City policy) is a dangerous anti-abortion policy that risks the health and lives of women and girls around the world.
The global gag rule prevents foreign organizations receiving U.S. global health assistance from providing information, referrals, or services for legal abortion or advocating for access to abortion services in their country — even with their own money.
Until we end the global gag rule, the policy will continue to jeopardize the health and well-being of millions of women and girls and the families that depend on them.
The global gag rule was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. On January 23, 2017, in one of his first acts as president, President Donald Trump reinstated and expanded the global gag rule. As it stands currently, the rule targets international organizations that work on any programs funded by U.S. global health assistance — including programs to expand access to contraception, prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, combat malaria, and improve maternal and child health.
Tell Congress: End the Global Gag Rule!
Tell your members of Congress you will not stand for the Trump-Pence administration’s global gag rule and call on them to end this harmful policy.
What are the Effects of the Global Gag Rule?
The global gag rule forces health care providers to choose between U.S. global health assistance and the ability to counsel and provide clients with an accurate and full range of safe and legal reproductive health options.
As a result, the global gag rule blocks access to health care, stifles local advocacy efforts, and undermines reproductive rights worldwide.
Santos Simione talks about the harm the global gag rule has caused around the delivery of critical HIV services in Mozambique. Santos is executive director of Amodefa, which is a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).
Because the policy changes based on who is in the White House, it creates mass fear and confusion, and ultimately results in lifesaving services being put out of reach for communities who already face systematic barriers to care.
Hear from Experts and People Experiencing the Policy Firsthand
A new report by Planned Parenthood Global explains the real impact of the global gag rule on the people and organizations most affected by the policy. Based on interviews with 22 experts from seven countries, the report details how the global gag rule:
- Disrupts the delivery of health services in areas of the world that are most in need
-
Rolls back progress made in countries that have fought to advance access to health care and human rights
-
Weakens national coalitions by breaking up long-standing partnerships and making it harder for groups to collaborate
Why We Must End the Global Gag Rule
As the world’s largest bilateral global health and family planning donor, the U.S. should build on, not stand in the way of progress. The U.S. needs to show strong leadership when it comes to promoting women’s health and free speech around the world. Politicians in Washington should not be interfering in a woman’s personal medical decision about her pregnancy, in this country or anywhere in the world.
Champions of women’s health are expected to fight back by supporting the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act, a bill that would stop the harmful global gag rule.
Follow @ppglobe on Twitter for the latest updates and ways to take action.
