While the Global Gag Rule was designed to reduce abortion, there’s no evidence that it has. And the policy’s domino effect has had negative effects on people’s lives in ways that have nothing to do with abortion.
President Obama and the new Congress can place American foreign policy firmly on the side of women’s health, and we can do it quickly, simply, without a penny of cost to the taxpayers. Just repeal the “Global Gag Rule.”
The Australian Agency for International Development is considering lifting a ban on foreign aid funding for abortion services, a proposal which has sparked significant divisive debate across the political spectrum.
As we count down to the end of the Bush presidency and the beginning of the Obama Administration, Pamela samples the views of a few reproductive justice activists to find out what progress they hope to see come out of the next four years.
President Elect Obama has already made clear his intention to re-establish the United States has a reproductive health global leader by committing to some key policies.
Many of President Bush’s harmful legacies for women’s health will take years to undo. But President-Elect Barack Obama can reverse some of the Bush administration’s retrograde policies on sexual and reproductive health with just the stroke of a pen.
Obama will reverse reckless, ideological health policy at home and abroad; An Indian Supreme Court decision allows husbands to divorce if wife obtains abortion without his consent; Illinois keeps abortion off license plates; Christian right faces crossroads; and more.
Amanda Hess of the Washington City Paper visits the nation’s newest "pro-life" pharmacy; Stem cell scientists celebrate President-elect Obama’s victory; The youth of Choice USA write an open letter to Obama; Sexual violence in the DRC reaches epidemic proportions.
A supporter of reproductive health and rights will occupy the White House come January. The ranks of pro-choice legislators in the House and Senate will grow significantly. There is a lot for a new administration to do and undo on reproductive health, but it’s what we voted for.
A new administration, a new agenda for sexual and reproductive health and rights advocates. What’s new? What’s changed? What are we still fighting for after all these years and how can a new leader make the greatest impact on women’s health and lives globally?
