Global Gag Rule

Global Gag Rule:

In 2001 President GW Bush implemented the Global Gag Rule for the second time. Over the course of the 8 years it was in place many developing countries who once relied on the support of the US suffered greatly. Countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East lost all US donated contraceptives, and many organizations were forced to shut down entirely. Two days after the Women’s March on Washington, Trump announced that the Global Gag Rule would once again be reinstalled. The current global gag rule requires that all international health insurance and services receiving aid from the US are not using US, or non-US funds to promote or give abortions.

Due to the fact that the implication of Trump’s version of the Gag Rule is somewhat new the immediate effects are difficult to see. However, many people have made predictions as to what we may see in the future, such as:

• Because the US is the largest global donor on health, the rule is likely to undermine progress on improving health.
• Women and girls in about 60 low- and middle-income countries will have less access to contraception, resulting in more unintended pregnancies, and more—often unsafe—abortions.
• The restrictions will cause easily preventable maternal deaths, both due to unsafe abortion and to an increase in unplanned pregnancies in places where rates of maternal mortality are already high.
• Health programs that lose US funding may have to cut services linked to newborn, infant and child health, including vaccinations; prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis (TB); and nutrition programs.
• The restriction makes needed health funds the instrument to curtail the speech and activities of activists and health providers in other countries, preventing them from sharing health information with patients about abortion or discussing potential reforms to abortion laws without losing their US funds.

(https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/14/trumps-mexico-city-policy-or-global-gag-rule#)

If you want to learn more or learn  about what you can do visit:

https://www.istandwithpp.org/gag-rule?_ga=2.239033475.267467863.1544485495-1888582570.1536016726