For Immediate Release:	February 20, 2003
For More Information:	Kirsten Sherk, Ipas, sherkk@ipas.org, +1 (919) 960-5612
Sponsor Organization:	Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Gag on AIDS Programs Will Compromise Women’s Health
Over the weekend, media outlets confirmed rumors that the Bush administration plans to expand the reach of the global gag rule (a.k.a., the “Mexico City” policy), by applying it to international assistance in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Administration officials have indicated that it would bar U.S. HIV/AIDS funds to organizations in developing countries that also provide, counsel about, or advocate on behalf of legal abortion. “The show horse of the president’s State of the Union Address has turned into a Trojan horse for global health,” said Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The administration dubbed their plan a “compromise.” It is not. The only thing it compromises is women’s health. The Bush Aids Gag Rule broadens an existing restriction to even more health care programs. The effect — and intent — is to cut off HIV/AIDS funds to reproductive health organizations that are known and trusted and best qualified to battle the epidemic. BACKGROUND FACTS: In developing countries, just as often in the U.S., the same organizations that provide immunizations, maternal and child health care, and family planning services, increasingly provide HIV prevention, counseling, and treatment. Forcing organizations to create an artificial separation between family planning and HIV/AIDS services would mean thousands of missed opportunities to educate people and prevent the spread of the disease. In attempting to frame his AIDS gag rule as a compromise, Bush must recognize that the American public will strongly disapprove of his latest gift to his hard right, anti-choice constituents. This is a deadly way to gain political favor, and we have no hesitation to call it what it is—another strand in the pernicious web of George Bush’s global war on women. This time the impact on men and children will be equally damaging. “In a fight of this magnitude, we cannot afford to leave anyone out,” said Feldt. The new restrictions will disproportionately affect women and young people, because they are the most likely to turn to their reproductive health care provider for information and services. These two groups are already the most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection and are the hardest hit in developing countries. By cutting off family planning organizations, the Bush administration will cut off the only source of information and services for thousands of people, and risk thousands of lives. This is no compromise; this is a travesty. # # # Planned Parenthood Federation of America is the nation’s largest and most trusted voluntary reproductive health care organization. Planned Parenthood affiliates serve nearly five million men, women and teenagers every year.