Shaheen Statement on 3rd Anniversary of Trump Reinstatement & Expansion of Global Gag Rule
**Recent Study Shows the Global Gag Rule as a Contributor to a 40 Percent Increase in Abortions in Developing Countries Dependent on U.S. Assistance**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement on the third anniversary of President Trump reinstating and expanding the Global Gag Rule. The President expanded the ill-conceived policy for a second time last March, further restricting international organizations from delivering critical care to women and families around the world.
The Global Gag Rule is an executive order that bans federal funds for foreign non-governmental organizations that use non-U.S. funds to provide abortion services or provide information about abortion as part of comprehensive family planning services. This forces clinics to choose between providing limited reproductive health services while accepting U.S. foreign aid or providing inclusive family planning and reproductive health care with a limited budget. The misguided policy was rescinded by the Obama administration, only to be reinstated and expanded under the Trump administration.
“Three years ago, the President reinstated and significantly expanded the Global Gag Rule, restricting life-saving care that supports women’s health and family planning in our most vulnerable communities around the world. The impact has been devastating,” said Shaheen. “Women, young people and marginalized communities bear the brunt of these dangerous actions, as access to fundamental health services is reduced and options are limited. This dangerous policy is another way for the administration to play politics with women’s reproductive health – it’s shameful.”
Shaheen continued, “The administration has withheld as much as $9 billion that should be used to reduce suffering, deliver critical services and save lives. As a result, clinics have closed. Women and children in poor and remote communities do not have care. My bipartisan bill – the Global HER Act – repeals the Global Gag Rule. It’s time to end this policy and I urge Mitch McConnell to finally allow a vote on this legislation.”
A member of both the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, Senator Shaheen has been a fierce advocate for women and girls around the globe, including advocating on behalf of family planning and women’s global health, spearheading efforts to end violence against women, authoring legislation to address barriers that girls around the world face in accessing education and securing women leadership roles in conflict resolution and peace negotiations.
