[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 982]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                            GLOBAL GAG RULE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to President 
Bush's decision to reinstate the Mexico City restrictions on United 
States assistance to international family planning organizations 
abroad. I also urge the Bush administration to stop misleading the 
American people by stating that American taxpayer dollars are being 
used to pay for abortions overseas. The truth is that since 1973, under 
the Helms amendment, the United States has prohibited foreign 
recipients of international family planning aid to use taxpayer funds 
to perform abortions. Despite this fact, however, President Bush's 
press secretary, in his defense of the global gag rule, has continued 
to state that American taxpayer dollars are being used to pay for 
abortion services. This is just downright wrong.
  President Bush's decision to reinstate the global gag rule will deny 
United States family planning assistance to any organization that uses 
its own, non-United States taxpayer funds to provide abortion services 
or engage in reproductive choice advocacy. This would be 
unconstitutional in our own country.
  Each year, approximately 600,000 women die from preventable 
complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Ninety-nine percent 
of these women are in developing countries. Complications from 
pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death and disability 
among women aged 15 to 49 in the developing countries. Many of these 
deaths can be prevented by providing women with the means and the 
information to responsibly plan their families. United States funding 
provides family planning services and reproductive health education to 
families worldwide. So cutting funding for family planning diminishes 
access to the single most effective means of reducing the need for 
abortions.
  Access to international family planning services is one of the most 
effective means of reducing the need for abortion and protecting the 
health of women and babies. Restricting funds to organizations that 
provide a wide range of safe and effective family planning services can 
only lead to more, not fewer, abortions. And limiting access to family 
planning results in high rates of unintended and high-risk pregnancy, 
unsafe abortions, and maternal deaths.
  It is crucial that women across the world have fundamental access to 
health care. Our support of international family planning helps save 
lives. It promotes women's and children's health and strengthens 
families and communities around the world. By denying these vital 
services, we deny women access to methods of contraception, leading to 
higher risks of getting and spreading the HIV/AIDS virus. Funding for 
family planning will help curb the spread of sexually transmitted 
disease.
  I urge the Bush administration to really correct their misstatements 
about international family planning aid. If not, it is our duty as 
Members of Congress to stand up and inform the American people that the 
President's executive order will restrict funds to organizations that 
provide a wide range of safe and effective family planning services to 
women in need. Millions of women around the world are begging President 
Bush to reconsider this decision. I implore the President to consider 
the deadly ramifications of his decision and really help poor women in 
need of basic education regarding their health care.

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                              {time}  1930