U.S. Senate nixes "global gag rule," votes on UNFPA funds.The U.S. Senate yesterday voted to repeal the "global gag rule gag rule Parliamentary device to limit debate; specifically, one of a series of resolutions passed by the U.S. Congress that tabled without discussion petitions regarding slavery (1836–40). ," reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2000 on his second day in office, which bans aid to international family planning family planning Use of measures designed to regulate the number and spacing of children within a family, largely to curb population growth and ensure each family’s access to limited resources. organizations that provide or counsel on abortion. By a vote of 53-43, senators struck down the rule, also called the "Mexico City Policy The Mexico City Policy is a United States government policy which limits the eligibility for federal funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which provide or promote services related to abortion. ," which was first announced by former President Ronald Reagan in 1984 at a U.N. conference on population in Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi . It limited U.S. financial assistance to foreign family planning groups that do not promote or disseminate information about abortion. Former President Bill Clinton rescinded the policy in 1993, but Bush reinstated it. Yesterday's vote rejected a motion to kill an amendment by Senator Barbara Boxer, attached to a $27 billion State Department foreign aid bill, to repeal the global gag rule. Boxer said the rule would be unconstitutional if applied to family planning organizations in the United States. "How can we export a policy that denies free speech and still say we support democracy?" she asked. The bill includes a provision restoring $50 million in funding to the U.N. Population Fund over a two-year period. Last July, the Bush administration withheld $34 million in funding for UNFPA UNFPA United Nations Population Fund (formerly United Nations Fund for Population Activities) UNFPA United Nations Fund for Population Activities (now United Nations Population Fund) , which had already been approved by Congress. The White House alleged that UNFPA indirectly supports forced abortion in China, a charge that was denied by UNFPA repeatedly as well as by numerous experts. It faces a possible presidential veto, however. The White House Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), formerly the Bureau of the Budget, is an agency of the federal government that evaluates, formulates, and coordinates management procedures and program objectives within and among departments and agencies of the Executive Branch. said before the vote that the administration would "strongly oppose" any amendment that would allow the government to fund abortion advocacy. "The president would veto the bill if it were presented to him with such a provision," the OMB OMB abbr. Office of Management and Budget Noun 1. OMB - the executive agency that advises the President on the federal budget Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. The Reproductive Rights Alliance of South Africa, where Bush visited yesterday and today, said the global gag rule has led to 1.5 million unwanted births, 15,000 maternal deaths, 92,000 infant deaths and 2.2 million unsafe abortions. Source: UNWire, July 10, 2003 |
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