Schakowsky Applauds President Obama's Decision to Lift the Global Gag Rule

SCHAKOWSKY APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA'S DECISION TO LIFT THE GLOBAL GAG RULE

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, released the following statement today after President Obama signed an Executive Order ending the ban on federal family planning funds for international groups, commonly known as the "Global Gag Rule... or the "Mexico City Policy.... In June 2007, the House passed an amendment to the FY08 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill to allow international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which do not comply with the "Mexico City Policy... to receive donated contraceptives. Unfortunately, the provision was stripped out of the bill during the conference committee negotiations between the House and Senate. The Democrats have been trying to reverse this decision

"In the last two days, President Obama has reversed some of the most regressive, outdated and misguided policies of the previous administration. President Obama's decision to end the 'Mexico City Policy' was eagerly anticipated by all of us who care about women's health and have fought for years to lift the ban. For the last eight years, the Bush Administration forced health care organizations to make an impossible choice: either give up desperately needed funds for family planning, or give up their right to provide patients with full and accurate medical information. President Obama's decision to lift the ban shows that we finally have a President who is will put women's lives over ideology. With a stroke of his pen, President Obama will help save 78,000 women from dying every year by giving them access to the same family planning practices we take for granted....

In 1984, President Reagan announced the Mexico City Policy, which required international NGOs to agree as a condition of their receipt of U.S. family planning funds–not abortion funds–that they would not perform, actively promote or even make abortion referrals if they used non-U.S. funds to do so. The Mexico City Policy was rescinded in January1993 by President Clinton, but then President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in January 2001.

"President Obama has sent a loud and clear message to poor women of the world that the U.S. finally has President that cares about them too,... said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky.