For Immediate Release:	December 15, 2000
For More Information:	Fiona Salter, Internationa Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), fsalter@ippf.org, +44 20 7487 7892
Sponsor Organization:	IPPF
DON'T BAN US FUNDING FOR PRO-CHOICE GROUPS, IPPF URGES PRESIDENT ELECT BUSH
President elect George W Bush could reinstate global gag rule, terminating US funding for private family planning groups that use their own money to promote abortion rights in foreign countries, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) warned today (14 December). Only a few weeks ago the IPPF welcomed an announcement from Washington that the ban was to be lifted. Negotiators had agreed to increase the money going to family planning groups with the proviso that the money could not be used before next February 15th - after the new president takes office. This now leaves a decision on spending money to George Bush. Director-General Ingar Brueggemann said, "We urge Mr Bush to support American values supporting freedom of speech and the democratic process, and to resist gagging international organizations from advocating for legal abortion to their own lawmakers." "To place restrictions on family planning choices disempowers woman and men and undermines their efforts to extricate themselves from poverty. The gag ruling has cost lives and actually increased the number of unintended pregnancies and illegal, unsafe abortions causing death and disability. "Our programmes, in more than 180 countries, cover a wide spectrum of reproductive health issues, but they have a common aim: to significantly reduce the sum of human misery by promoting the highest possible level of sexual and reproductive health. IPPF is committed to reducing the numbers of abortions world-wide by ensuring contraception is widely and safely available." For further comment contact Fiona Salter on +44 20 7487 7892 Notes to editors: Under the laws - the so-called Gag rule, groups receiving American funds had to certify that they were not using their own money to provide abortions or to lobby foreign governments on abortion policy. These restrictions have been a major ideological battle between anti-choice activitists and those who favour abortion rights. They were first imposed during the Reagan era and often known as the Mexico City limitations as they were announced during the 1984 international family planning conference in Mexico City. IPPF is the largest voluntary organisation working towards healthier sexual and reproductive lives for everyone. IPPF works in over 180 countries to fight against poverty, ignorance and misery by providing more people with choices about their lives, offering sexual and reproductive health and family planning information and services, and working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and other infections.