ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

House Passes Global "Gag" Rule that Threatens International Family Planning

"Gag" Rule Limits Access to Contraception Critical in Fighting Unplanned Pregnancy and Diseases

WASHINGTON, DC (July 14, 2000) Citing the fact that nearly 80 million pregnancies worldwide each year are unplanned, Advocates for Youth's President, James Wagoner, condemns the House's refusal to ease funding restrictions on international organizations that advocate for the entire range of reproductive health services.

In a letter to President Clinton, Wagoner urges the President to oppose the global "gag" rule restricting family planning dollars. "If you continue to allow a strident minority to highjack your international family planning policies, you will do untold harm to the health and well-being of women and children around the globe," wrote Wagoner.

By a 221-226 vote, the House defeated Rep. Nita Lowey's (D-NY) amendment that would have removed funding restrictions included in the $13.3 billion foreign aid bill. "The 'gag' rule not only restricts international family planning organizations from providing safe abortions, but also restricts their ability to provide critical family planning services that would reduce the need for abortions," continued Wagoner.

The global "gag" rule prohibits U.S. public funds from being distributed to international family planning organizations that also use private funds to provide abortions or advocate for better abortion laws.

Wagoner also calls on politicians to stop putting their political agendas above the health of women and children throughout the world. "It's ironic that by restricting funding for family planning organizations, the very politicians who oppose abortion are limiting the most effective and fundamental means of preventing abortion," said Wagoner.

Currently 46 million pregnancies worldwide end in abortion each year. In developing regions where abortion is often illegal or highly restricted, the maternal mortality rate due to unsafe abortions is more than three hundred times higher than the rate in developed countries.

"By supporting policies like the global "gag" rule U.S. politicians are forcing international family planning organizations to choose between critical U.S. funding and the health of millions of women. Women's lives should not be sacrificed to the short-sighted policies and extremist views of this conservative Congress," concluded Wagoner.

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