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Issues Advocacy: Mexico City Policy/Global Gag Rule
The Mexico City Policy, prevents NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that receive USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) funding from using any of their monies, U.S. or otherwise, for providing abortion related services or being involved in any abortion activity regardless of their country’s laws. Opponents quickly dubbed the policy the Global Gag Rule as it prevents these NGOs from using their personal funds to:
- Provide safe abortion services to the extent that they are legal (including where a woman’s health is harmed by the pregnancy);
- Impart accurate medical counseling about, or referrals for, abortion;
- Petition their own governments to liberalize restrictive abortion laws;
- Advocate against attempts to make abortion laws even more restrictive; and
- Engage in public information initiatives and similar educational measures to ensure that abortions are safe and accessible to the full extent that the law allows.1
The Mexico City Policy forces international providers to violate fundamental medical ethics by forbidding them from disclosing complete medical information to their patients. The restrictions imposed on NGOs has led to a significant decrease in family planning services due to the closing of numerous clinics world wide and the loss of millions of dollars by organizations who cannot or do not abide by the strict regulations.
1. Breaking the Silence: The Global Gag Rule’s Impact on Unsafe Abortion, Center for Reproductive Rights, New York, NY, 2003, pg. 7.
For More Information on the Mexico City Policy/Global Gag Rule Please Visit:
Center For Reproductive Rights