National Abortion Federation Blog: Saporta Reporter

Today, I issued the following statement:

Last week, Prime Minister Harper announced that he plans to make maternal health in the developing world a priority when he hosts the G8 summit in June. If the Prime Minister is truly serious about improving women’s health internationally, his initiatives must address the comprehensive maternal and reproductive health care needs of women, including access to safe abortion care.

As we have seen in Canada and other countries throughout the world, access to safe, legal abortion care preserves women’s health and saves women’s lives. Unsafe abortion remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in developing nations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 70,000 women worldwide die from unsafe abortions annually and millions more are injured, many permanently.

The WHO also estimates that up to 40 percent of maternal deaths could be prevented with access to family planning and contraception services. International health and development agencies, including Amnesty International and the United Nations, consistently link contraception to maternal health in the developing world.

However, last week Canadian International Development Agency Minister Bev Oda said the government’s child and maternal health strategy will not address unsafe abortions in developing countries or support access to family planning and contraception. Canada must not follow in the footsteps of the United States, which during the Bush Administration restricted funding for foreign organizations providing abortion counseling, referrals, or care, and those who worked to challenge abortion restrictions. This policy had devastating consequences for the millions of women in developing nations who rely upon such organizations for essential health care services.

This is a critical opportunity for Prime Minister Harper to champion the health of some of the world’s poorest women. We join Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and others in the Liberal Party in urging the Prime Minister to keep ideology out of the maternal health initiative and include access to contraception and abortion care in his efforts to improve maternal health care.

Labels: Canada, Contraception, Global Gag Rule, international, maternal health

Wednesday, the Senate rejected a bill to reinstate the Global Gag Rule by a vote of 60-37. This policy prohibits any foreign organization receiving U.S. aid from providing, referring to, or even advocating for abortion care. During his first week in office, President Obama struck down this devastating policy so that women and families around the world could access the quality, comprehensive health care they need.

>Learn more about the Global Gag Rule.

Labels: federal legislation, Global Gag Rule, Obama Administration

Today, we released the following statement:

Today, President Barack Obama rescinded the Global Gag Rule. We commend President Obama for swiftly taking this important step toward expanding access to reproductive health care for millions of women around the world.

Originally authored during the Reagan Administration, the Global Gag Rule prohibits international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive U.S. government funds from using their own private funds to provide abortions. The policy also prevents NGOs from lobbying their own government for a change in abortion laws, conducting public education campaigns about abortion, referring women to safe abortion providers, or even providing medically accurate counseling about abortion to their clients.

The Global Gag Rule was rescinded by President Clinton in 1993, and then re-implemented by President G.W. Bush on his first day in office in 2001.

This draconian policy has been devastating for the millions of women in developing nations who rely upon NGOs for essential health care services. As a result of President Obama’s Executive Order, women and families around the world will once again be able to access the comprehensive health care they need.

Labels: Bush Administration, Global Gag Rule, Obama Administration

Today, we released the following statement:

Thirty-six years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the right to privacy found in the United States Constitution included the right of women to terminate a pregnancy. This landmark decision has protected the health and saved the lives of countless women.

Today’s important anniversary is just one of the reasons we have to celebrate this week. Tuesday, the world watched the inauguration of a pro-choice President. We look forward to working with the Obama Administration to protect women’s access to safe, legal abortion care. Although it’s been 36 years since abortion was legalized, women still face barriers to accessing the care they need and we urge President Obama to:

• Immediately rescind the Global Gag Rule, which prohibits international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive U.S. government funds from using their own private funds to provide abortions, lobbying their own government for a change in abortion laws, or even providing medically accurate counseling about abortion to their clients. Nearly 70,000 women in developing countries die each year from unsafe abortions. The policy was repealed by President Clinton in 1993, and then re-implemented by President G.W. Bush on his first day in office in 2001.

We also call on Congress and the Obama Administration to:

• Address barriers low-income women face when obtaining abortion care. Bans on public funding for abortion services have severely restricted access to safe abortion care for women, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority women.
  
• Ensure comprehensive health care coverage for women, which includes abortion care. This Administration must address the need for health care reform that guarantees equal access to comprehensive, high quality health care, including access to abortion care for women.
  
• Improve access to abortion care for women in the military. Current law forbids military hospitals from providing abortion care except in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment. Federal funding is only available for abortions needed in cases of life endangerment. These policies significantly burden service women and military dependents around the world who rely on military hospitals for their health care needs.

We must also remain vigilant in protecting abortion providers. We urge the Department of Justice to:

• Reinvigorate the Task Force on Violence Against Health Care Providers to maximize the level of coordination among federal, state, and local agencies and to ensure that existing laws prohibiting clinic violence, including the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, are fully enforced.

As we enter this new era of American politics, we look forward to working with the Obama Administration, Congress, and the Department of Justice to ensure that abortion is safe, legal, and accessible to promote health and justice for women.

Labels: Global Gag Rule, Obama Administration, providers, women in the military

Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have authored a list of 200 Bush administration actions that could quickly be undone to promote change, a Washington Post article reports. Among the policies being considered for quick reversal is the Bush administration’s Global Gag Rule.

Originally authored during the Reagan Administration, the Global Gag Rule prohibits international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive U.S. government funds from using their own private funds to provide abortions. The policy also prevents NGOs from lobbying their own government for a change in abortion laws, conducting public education campaigns about abortion, referring women to safe abortion providers, or even providing medically accurate counseling about abortion to their clients. The policy was rescinded by President Clinton in 1993, and then re-implemented by President G.W. Bush on his first day in office in 2001.

In many rural areas worldwide, foreign NGOs are the only healthcare providers. The Global Gag Rule endangers already vulnerable women by further curtailing their access to safe and accurate reproductive health care.

>Learn more about international abortion issues.

Labels: access, Bush Administration, Global Gag Rule, international, Obama Administration