U.S. President Barack Obama today issued an executive order reversing the Global Gag Rule. The Global Gag Rule [also known as the “Mexico City Policy” or specifically, The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1))] denied United States family planning funds to foreign NGOs that use their own private, non-U.S. dollars to counsel women, make referrals for abortion, or perform abortions. It even denied U.S. funds to NGOs that expressed support for laws to make abortion safe and legal. The Global Gag Rule was in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Clinton. President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001, where it was in effect until Friday, 23 January 2009 (today).
President Obama also pledged to work to restore a partnership with UNFPA, “I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund. By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries.”
Below is President Obama's statement.
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release: January 23, 2009
Statement of President Barack Obama on Rescinding the Mexico City Policy
"It is clear that the provisions of the Mexico City Policy are unnecessarily broad and unwarranted under current law, and for the past eight years, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries. For these reasons, it is right for us to rescind this policy and restore critical efforts to protect and empower women and promote global economic development.
"For too long, international family planning assistance has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of a back and forth debate that has served only to divide us. I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate.
"It is time that we end the politicization of this issue. In the coming weeks, my Administration will initiate a fresh conversation on family planning, working to find areas of common ground to best meet the needs of women and families at home and around the world.
"I have directed my staff to reach out to those on all sides of this issue to achieve the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies. They will also work to promote safe motherhood, reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and increase educational and economic opportunities for women and girls.
"In addition, I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund. By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries," said President Obama.
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Memorandum for the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
Subject: Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)), prohibits nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive Federal funds from using those funds "to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning, or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions." The August 1984 announcement by President Reagan of what has become known as the "Mexico City Policy" directed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand this limitation and withhold USAID funds from NGOs that use non-USAID funds to engage in a wide range of activities, including providing advice, counseling, or information regarding abortion, or lobbying a foreign government to legalize or make abortion available. The Mexico City Policy was in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Clinton. President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001, implementing it through conditions in USAID grant awards, and subsequently extended the policy to "voluntary population planning" assistance provided by the Department of State.
These excessively broad conditions on grants and assistance awards are unwarranted. Moreover, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning programs in foreign nations. Accordingly, I hereby revoke the Presidential memorandum of January 22, 2001, for the Administrator of USAID (Restoration of the Mexico City Policy), the Presidential memorandum of March 28, 2001, for the Administrator of USAID (Restoration of the Mexico City Policy), and the Presidential memorandum of August 29, 2003, for the Secretary of State (Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning). In addition, I direct the Secretary of State and the Administrator of USAID to take the following actions with respect to conditions in voluntary population planning assistance and USAID grants that were imposed pursuant to either the 2001 or 2003 memoranda and that are not required by the Foreign Assistance Act or any other law: (1) immediately waive such conditions in any current grants, and (2) notify current grantees, as soon as possible, that these conditions have been waived. I further direct that the Department of State and USAID immediately cease imposing these conditions in any future grants.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE, January 23, 2009.
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For more information: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/23/obama.abortion/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
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From the DAILY WOMEN'S HEALTH POLICY REPORT | January 26, 2009
http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=daily2_fullreport
NATIONAL POLITICS & POLICY | Obama Reverses 'Global Gag Rule'
[Jan. 26, 2009]
President Obama on Friday repealed the "global gag rule," also known as the "Mexico City" Policy, which denies federal funding to international family planning organizations that with their own funds provide abortion services and information, the New York Times reports. Obama said in a written statement that during the past two terms of former President George W. Bush, the policy has "undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries. For these reasons, it is right for us to rescind this policy and restore critical efforts to protect and empower women and promote global economic development." He added that assistance for international family planning "has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of back-and-forth debate that has served only to divide us. I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate" (Baker, New York Times, 1/24). Obama said that he has "directed [his] staff to reach out to those on all sides of this issue to achieve the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies." His staff also will "work to promote safe motherhood, reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and increase educational and economic opportunities for women and girls" (Levey, Los Angeles Times, 1/24). The policy change by Obama will not impact the amount of funding available to international family planning organizations -- which was about $450 million to more than 65 countries in 2007 -- but will make it available to a greater range of organizations, the Journal reports (Meckler, Wall Street Journal, 1/24).
According to the Journal, Obama also said he would work with Congress to reinstate U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund, which the Bush administration withheld because the administration said that the funding supported coerced abortion under China's one-child policy. Supporters of UNFPA have said that the group is not involved in China's policy and that there are studies to support these claims. The Journal reports that a total of $235 million since 2002 has been withheld from UNFPA (Meckler, Wall Street Journal, 1/24).
The policy reversal on the "global gag rule" was issued one day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which helped Obama to avoid the "confrontational step" of reversing the policy the same day as the March for Life protest led by abortion opponents, the Washington Post reports. Jim Wallis of the progressive evangelical group Sojourners said that Obama "showed respect for both sides in the historically polarized abortion debate" by not issuing the order on the anniversary of Roe and "called for both a new conversation and a new common ground." Wallis also said that he "hope[s] that this important gesture signals the beginning of a new approach and a new path toward finding some real solutions to decrease the number of abortions in this country and around the world" (Stein/Shear, Washington Post, 1/24).
Abortion-rights advocates were "energized" by the policy reversal, the New York Times reports. Tod Preston, a vice president at Population Action International, said that Obama's "actions will help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, abortions and women dying from high-risk pregnancies because they don't have access to family planning." Steven Sinding, a former director-general of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and population adviser to the World Bank, said it is a "great day" for those who oppose abortion because the policy change "will help many of the most effective providers of family planning services to enable women to avoid unwanted pregnancies" (New York Times, 1/24). Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said, "Women throughout the world can breathe a sigh of relief and gain access to a full range of family planning services" (Los Angeles Times, 1/24). Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said that Obama has "lifted the stranglehold on women's health across the globe" and that the policy change "ends eight long years of policies that have blocked access to basic health care for women worldwide" (Wall Street Journal, 1/24).
The New York Times reports that abortion opponents "condemned" the policy reversal, "calling it an unnecessarily divisive way for a president preaching unity to start his administration." Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.), co-chair of the House Bipartisan Pro-Life Caucus, said that Obama "will be remembered forever not just as a smart, savvy, gifted and eloquent leader -- but as the Abortion President." Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, said the order was the first in an "anticipated series of attacks on longstanding pro-life policies." The effect of the policy change will be to redirect federal funding "away from groups that do not promote abortion and into the hands of those organizations that are the most aggressive in promoting abortion in developing countries," he said (New York Times, 1/24).
Vatican officials on Saturday also released statements expressing their disappointment with Obama's executive order, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. Monsignor Rino Fisichella, head of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life, said that "if this is one of [Obama's] first acts" as president, "we're heading quickly toward disappointment." He added that Obama should listen to all sides of the abortion debate without "the arrogance of those who, being in power, believe they can decide of life and death." Monsignor Elio Sgreccia, another top official with the Academy for Life, said that the order "deals a harsh blow not only to us Catholics but to all the people across the world who fight against the slaughter of innocents that is carried out with the abortion" (AP/Yahoo! News, 1/24).
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