Environmental Update Main Global Population Main Population Overview Family Planning Around the World and in the U.S. Sustainable Development, Poverty and Gender Youth Action for the Global Environment Campaign Ecological Footprint Activist Resources Take Action! Contact Us Environmental news, green living tips, and ways to take action: Subscribe to the Sierra Club Insider!

Global Gag Rule The ability of families to determine the path of their life has implications for their future and for the future of the planet. The global gag rule seeks to limit that self-determination. Only two days after his inauguration in 2001, President Bush signed an executive order to reinstate the Mexico City Policy, also known as the "Global Gag Rule." This policy prohibits foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who accept U.S. funding from using their own funds, or other non-U.S. funds, to provide, refer, promote or even offer legal abortion as an option for women. If foreign countries want U.S. development assistance funding, they cannot use any other portion of their organizational revenue, no matter what the source, for abortion referrals or procedures. This policy straps NGOs and clinics with a cruel predicament: continue to receive U.S. funds and not provide full reproductive health care services to women, or refuse the assistance and face clinic closures or reduced services, since U.S. support is often a significant portion of the total funding. In essence, this policy acts as a "gag" because the U.S. dictates how the NGOs must use their own independently raised or donated money. Despite Congress’s best efforts to overturn this policy, it remains intact. Sierra Club supports voluntary, unrestricted family planning programs that empower men and women to make choices about their families and that take steps in the direction of global environmental sustainability. The Sierra Club does NOT support the anti-democratic, anti-family planning policy of the Global Gag Rule. Recent Efforts to overturn the Gag Rule: In June 2007, the House of Representatives passed its FY 2008 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill (H.R. 2674) that eases harmful restrictions on international family planning and reproductive health programs. The bill included a critical amendment, the "Lowey Amendment", introduced by Chairwomen Nita Lowey (D-NY), to exempt contraceptives from the Global Gag Rule. This would allow foreign NGO's to receive US-donated contraceptives, even if the organizations are ineligible for other US assistance under the rule. The Lowey Amendment passed by a vote of 223-201. Then in September, despite President Bush's veto threat, the Senate voted, as part of their FY 2008 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, to overturn the Global Gag Rule and other destructive policies impeding U.S. family planning assistance. The Senate foreign assistance bill already included key provisions identical to the House-passed bill -- exempting contraceptives from the Global Gag Rule. However, the Senate went a step further and voted to nullify the Gag Rule entirely. The Boxer-Snowe amendment to fully repeal the Gag Rule was adopted by a vote of 53-41. The House and Senate votes mark the first time since the Global Gag Rule has been in force -- from 1984 to 1993 and again since 2001 -- that both Chambers of Congress have passed legislation to repeal or modify the restriction that has wreaked havoc on family planning efforts! What's Next? The State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill now proceeds to a conference committee where the House and Senate versions will be reconciled and sent to the President. There are a variety of scenarios of what will happen next in this appropriations "end game." The bill could be sent to the President by itself or as part of a large "minibus" of a few appropriations bills. Then the issue will turn to Bush's threatened veto of the entire $34 billion foreign assistance spending bill over the Global Gag Rule provisions. Ultimately, the question may come down to whether he will reject an otherwise popular $34 billion bill over a common sense measure to expand access to contraceptives overseas. Take Action! Support the Global Democracy Promotion Act! (H.R. 619 / S. 1744) The Global Democracy Promotion Act is an attempt to overturn the global gag rule, and was introduced in the House on January 22, 2007, by Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY). If passed, the Global Democracy Promotion Act would help ensure that women and families around the world have access to crucial family planning education and services that enable them to choose the size and spacing of their families, ultimately leading to healthier and smaller families and reducing stress on the planet's natural resources. We must build strong bipartisan support for this legislation in the House to ensure that the United States supports true democracy, including basic freedoms of speech. Help mobilize grassroots support for this legislation by getting involved with the Global Gag Rule Impact Project today! Read more about how the Global Gag rule affects different countries around the world.   Photo courtesy Lutheran World Relief; used with permission. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club