Impact of Global Gag Rule Insufficiently Documented In the Past – Research Needed to Determine Current Health Consequences, says PAI

October 18, 2001

Washington, DC -- More research is needed on the impact of the Mexico City Policy (also known as the global gag rule) in countries where the U.S. supports reproductive health providers in developing countries, according to an article by Rich Cincotta, Senior Research Associate at Population Action International (PAI), and Barbara Crane, Executive Vice-President of Ipas. The article, entitled "The Mexico City Policy and U.S. Family Planning Assistance," appears in the October 19 issue of the international journal, Science, and discusses earlier research efforts to assess the impact of the policy when it was first in effect (1984-93).

The global gag rule, reinstated by President Bush on his first day in office, withholds USAID funds from any foreign organization that, with non-U.S. money, performs, refers, or counsels on abortion, regardless of whether abortion is legal in their country. As the largest single donor to international reproductive health efforts, this policy is likely to have a measurable impact. The global gag rule imposes unjust and unnecessary restrictions on how this funding is used by foreign organizations - sometimes forcing clinics and other places where reproductive health services are provided to choose between doing what is right for their community, or doing what the United States dictates.

"Already we've heard reports of organizations and clinics that have had to close, or seek alternative funding, because of this policy," said Cincotta. "The gag rule is hardly a health policy at all - instead, it's a complex set of restrictions designed to punish legal abortion providers and reproductive health advocates. Clearly, this policy would be unconstitutional if imposed in the United States."