Administration Ties Global Gag Rule to Funding Against HIV/AIDS

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CONTACT: Jodi L. Jacobson, Center for Health and Gender Equity 301-270-1182(o), 301-257-7897(c) THE GLOBAL GAG RULE, ACCORDING TO CHANGE: The term “Global Gag Rule” derives from the fact that the restriction is widely seen as violation of the constitutional right to free speech in the United States and so, to date, has not been applied to U.S.-based groups. The gag rule is widely seen as a fundamental challenge to improving public health: Because it denies funding to those organizations most effective in reducing unintended pregnancies—and hence the need for abortion—it actually contributes to the problems it purports to solve.

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- USAID Request for Application (RFA) for Kenya HIV/AIDS Program
- Program Narrative

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 -- In a major policy reversal, the Bush administration has imposed its so-called global gag rule on groups seeking funding for a large project to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

The Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), a Washington-based health policy advocacy group, said it spotted the change in a request for applications (RFA) issued Nov. 18 by the U.S. Agency for International Development for $193 million in grants for five years of programs in Kenya.

“The administration has broken its own written commitment not to subject global AIDS funds to these onerous restrictions,” said CHANGE Executive Director Jodi Jacobson. “This shift in policy goes beyond hypocrisy to sheer irresponsibility and complete disregard for the lives and welfare of women and girls worldwide.”

The global gag rule, also called the Mexico City policy, already bars international family planning organizations from providing abortion referrals, counseling or services in their facilities or from discussing abortion laws in public, on pain of losing U.S. funding. In early 2003, President Bush sought to extend the rule to all State Department programs, but was so heavily criticized that he issued an executive order exempting AIDS funding from the rule.

On Nov. 18, however, the new RFA twice included eligibility criteria requiring grant recipients to “agree to abide by the Mexico City Policy, the Tiahrt Amendment and all U.S. AID policies and regulations.” The Tiahrt Amendment, sponsored in 2001 by Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), requires parental notification and consent for all information and medical care supplied to minors.

Jacobson noted that the theme of World AIDS Day Dec. 1 is “Keep the Promise,” referring to the lag between world leaders’ pledges against the AIDS pandemic and the reality of insufficient contributions. “What we are doing with this policy is taking an already sub-par effort and making it worse,” she said.

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