House Lawmakers Approve Partial Repeal of Global Gag Rule
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 22, 2007 House Lawmakers Approve Partial Repeal of Bush’s Dangerous Global Gag Rule Seattle, WA - Yesterday, the House passed its FY’08 Foreign Operations spending bill with a provision to partially repeal the global gag rule. The global gag rule – imposed by President Bush on his first day in office - bars U.S. funds going to any overseas health clinic that uses its own, private, non-U.S. funds for abortion services, advocacy, or counseling. The provision, authored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) partially repeals this ban by allowing overseas clinics otherwise ineligible for USAID funds to receive U.S.-donated contraceptives. “The Bush gag rule has been a disaster for international family planning organizations and for the women they serve,” said Karen Cooper, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. “We applaud the House for its partial repeal of this misguided policy,” she added. Anti-choice lawmakers, led by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Bart Stupak (D-MI), tried to strike even the modest provision, but failed by a vote of 205-218. “NARAL Pro-Choice Washington thanks our pro-choice Congressmen, Representatives Baird, Dicks, Inslee, Larson, McDermott and Smith, for opposing attempts to strike this provision,” Cooper said. Representatives Reichert, McMorris Rodgers, and Hastings voted for the attempt to strike the Lowey provision. “It’s a shame that Representative Reichert is more interested in pandering to the President than representing the pro-choice values of 8th Congressional District voters,” said Cooper, “I don’t understand how Congressman Reichert can vote against birth control for poor women around the world.” The Senate has not yet taken action on its FY’08 Foreign Operations bill. However, if the bill is sent to the president’s desk with the House’s pro-family-planning provisions intact, he will most likely veto the measure. On May 3, President Bush sent a letter to congressional leaders assuring them that he would veto any bill that weakens federal policies and restrictions on abortion and family planning. This Tuesday, the Bush administration reiterated the threat, specifically noting that the House bill is inconsistent with the president’s earlier letter. # # #
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