DeGette Applauds President Obama On Repealing Global Gag Rule

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of theCommittee on Energy and Commerce and co-chair of the CongressionalPro-Choice Caucus, today offered the following statement on PresidentObama's Executive Order repealing the Global Gag Rule, which prohibitsorganizations in other countries from receiving U.S. family planningassistance if they provide abortion information or services.

"The Global Gag Rule impeded family planning organizations fromreducing unsafe abortions, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and infantmortality.  Today, President Obama put the United States back on thepath of promoting public health and humanitarian aid around the world.I look forward to working together with the President to advance acommon-sense agenda for advancing the health of women and families inthe U.S. and worldwide," said DeGette.

President Bush reinstated the Global Gag Rule, or Mexico City Policy,in the first week of his presidency.  The rule had previously been ineffect from 1984 until 1993, until being rescinded by PresidentClinton.  The Global Gag Rule prohibited organizations in othercountries from receiving U.S. family planning assistances if they usefunding from any other source to provide abortion information orservices.

Click here to read and listen to a recent NPR report with Congresswoman DeGette about this issue.