- The global gag rule, reinstated by President Bush on his second day in office, does more than limit foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from using their own non-U.S. funds for abortion services, lobbying, referrals and reform. The gag rule also restricts the foreign aid programs of other donor countries, including our European allies.
Due to the restrictions placed on NGOs receiving USAID assistance, our European allies cannot partner with foreign organizations on projects that, for example, reduce the number of women dying from unsafe abortions. The gag rule not only "federalizes" other donor countries’ funding, but it also severely curtails the effectiveness of already limited overseas development relief in the area of family planning and reproductive rights.
The Bush administration’s opposition to women’s health measures is further evidenced by its refusal to release the $34 million that Congress had originally appropriated to the United Nations Population Fund for fiscal year 2002; also, the Department of Health and Human Services’ May 2002 participation in the United Nations Special Session on Children revealed the bullying tactics by our U.S. negotiators in an attempt to foist on the rest of the world an ultra-conservative agenda that the vast majority of Americans would never support.
Host: Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA), Chair of Human Rights Caucus
Also: Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Democratic Whip
Sponsors: Center for Reproductive Rights, International Planned Parenthood Federation-European Network (IPPF-EN), and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA)
Moderator: Christina Zampas, Center for Reproductive Rights Legal Adviser for Europe
European Parliamentarians:
- Senator Ans Zwerver (Netherlands): Author, Motion for Resolution Condemning Mexico City Policy
- Tony Worthington (UK), Member, The House of Commons and UK Select Committee on International Development
- Ull Sandbaek (Denmark), Member European Parliament
- Mikhail Rafaelovitch Rokitzky (Russia), Member of the State Duma
For press inquiries, please contact press @reprorights.org.
