For Immediate Release:	March 18, 2003
For More Information:	Jodi Jacobson, Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), jjacobson@genderhealth.org, 301-270-1182
Sponsor Organization:	Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
De Facto Expansion already in place
Recent news reports suggest that a deal has been struck with the White House not to apply the global gag rule to international HIV/AIDS funding in return for swift passage by the House of a global AIDS authorization bill. The White House, however, has yet to provide members of Congress or the public with confirmation of this deal in writing. Meanwhile, both domestic and international pressure opposing the gag rule continues to build. On Friday, March 14th, a letter signed by more than 300 public health professionals, religious leaders, parliamentarians, academics, and advocates from 77 countries throughout the world was sent to President Bush expressing strong opposition to the global gag rule. (find the letter at http://www.genderhealth.org/gag.php?TOPIC=PRG) “A retreat by the White House on application of the gag rule to global AIDS funding represents an important but partial victory for women and girls worldwide,” stated Jodi Jacobson, Executive Director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. Today, women represent half of those infected with HIV worldwide and 58 percent of those in Sub-Saharan Africa, the region where AIDS has taken the greatest toll to date and the focus of the President’s Emergency AIDS Plan. “Expanding the gag rule to AIDS funding would consign untold numbers of women and girls to further infection, suffering and premature death that could otherwise be prevented,” stated Jacobson. Faced with a war and mounting international and domestic opposition to this policy, the White House appears to have retreated, for now. “If the Administration has in fact changed its position on gagging HIV funding, it should make this decision public in writing,” asserted Jacobson. “Otherwise, given the animosity shown by this Administration to women’s health and lives in this country and abroad, there is no reason to believe that they will not simply apply an Executive Order down the line.” Moreover, noted Jacobson, the gag rule is still in force at many levels of international development assistance, undercutting the basic reproductive health and HIV prevention strategies so desperately needed by women everywhere. “The gag rule still applies to U.S. funding for international family planning, thereby denying poor women access to life-saving family planning and maternal and child health care services, and undercutting the principles of democracy and free speech for which the Administration appears to be so ready to commit the U.S. to war.” “Moreover,” notes Jacobson, “a de facto expansion of the gag rule is already in place. The State Department continues to hold back funding from groups providing essential reproductive health services to refugees and to organizations working to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on sex workers.”