Should we Gag? The Senate Tries to Remove the "Global Gag Rule"

On April 5, 2005, the Senate passed an amendment to repeal one of President George W. Bush’s most contentious anti-abortion rights policies.

During the first month of his presidency, Bush reinstated what his opponents call the "global gag rule" (and proponents call "the so-called global gag rule").

Before being resurrected by Bush, the "global gag rule" was created and instituted by President Reagan and then revoked by President Clinton.

What is the "global gag rule"?

The "global gag rule" aims to prohibit family planning organizations anywhere in the world from performing abortions, providing abortion counseling, giving referrals to abortion clinics, or lobbying to keep or make abortion legal in their own countries. If such organizations refer to abortion in any of these ways, they are denied US aid.

For this reason, many see the policy as a free speech issue. From this point of view, the U.S. is not just stopping abortions, but preventing women abroad from learning about abortion as an option and reproductive rights as a concept.

Possible veto

Senator Barbara Boxer (D- California) sponsored the measure that passed 52-46 with the help of eight Republican Senators: Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Ted Stevens of Alaska, and John W. Warner of Virginia, who all voted for the amendment.

In order to veto the amendment, President Bush has threatened to veto the entire foreign aid bill, S 600. This is the bill which would authorize a 13 percent increase in foreign aid for FY 2006.

But a veto may not be necessary since the amendment is not likely to survive the House-Senate conference that produces the final version of the bill.

Arguments for and against

Those who support reproductive rights say that the global gag rule drains essential funds from all types of family planning abroad, resulting in more unwanted pregnancies, and thus, more abortions. They say that keeping women educated about reproductive choices is the only way to reduce the number of abortions.

Some voters agree with the policy because they don’t want their tax dollars supporting abortions overseas. However, US funds have not been used to support foreign abortions since 1973. The Helms amendment (named after Senator Jesse Helms) prohibits this. But the "gag rule" goes a step further; it erases the concept of abortion in foreign family planning.

The Bush Administration and its supporters are concerned with the way that foreign nations conceptualize family and sex. Bush has promised aid to Africa to fight its AIDS epidemic, with the understanding that its education programs teach abstinence. Like the "global gag rule," this policy assumes that particular American ideals can and should apply to all individuals in all cultures.

What information should women have? Should foreign aid be unconditional? Or, should developing nations that receive aid be accountable to the U.S.? Do we have the right to require nations to develop in a certain way?

What do you think?

WomenMatter is a place to discuss life issues with other women. We don’t want to wedge women apart, but rather bring them together to dialogue. To log onto one of our online forums, click here.

WomenMatter encourages women to educate themselves on the issues and then approach their representatives with ideas.

Even though the election is over, your voice is vital. Make sure your leaders know what’s important to you. To see how your representatives vote and to contact them, click here.

WomenMatter is dedicated to empowering women to participate in the political process. To do this we have invested in the most in-depth NONPARTISAN information, because we trust each woman to make up her own mind.

• We track nine issues every week and update this website several times a week.
• We launch after school GirlsMatter Clubs in middle and high schools to grow the next generation of politically aware women through a full curriculum and startup kit on girlsmatter.com.
• We do continuous research to make sure that we are meeting the needs of women across the country of all ages, races, incomes, preferences, and religions.
• We provide partnerships with nonpartisan organizations that provide services to women and advocate for them.

We offer all our services free of charge without memberships or subscriptions. To help us maintain this work - not just in election years but as a continuing part of women’s lives - please make a tax deductible donation, click here.

Update Posted on: 4/16/2005