Clean Up on Aisle 5—Bipartisan Senate Supporters Address House Bill Mess of Funding Cuts and Anti-SRHR “Riders”
The Global Gag Rule and Maternal Deaths Due to Unsafe Abortion
The Helms amendment to foreign assistance legislation, in effect since 1973, prevents U.S. funds from being used for abortion-related activities. Since 2001, the gag rule has gone further by making NGOs ineligible for U.S. funds even if these activities are carried out with non-U.S. funds. NGOs are forced to choose between receiving U.S. funds — often their primary source of support — and providing women with counseling and care that they may desperately want and need, especially if coping with an unwanted pregnancy.