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Dear John,
The U.S. government has just expanded a harmful U.S. foreign policy known as the Global Gag Rule—and it’s a major blow to global health and human rights.
Why? Because now the United States will use the power of all its foreign assistance funds to restrict work by a wide array of actors on abortion, gender equity, LGBTQI+ rights, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
“This policy weaponizes U.S. foreign aid to force the administration’s harmful agenda on people around the world,” says Anu Kumar, Ipas President and CEO.
Expanding the Global Gag Rule is a strategic plan to not only widen the U.S. government’s influence over sexual and reproductive health globally but to force governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), UN partners and more to comply with anti-rights restrictions if they want to receive any U.S. funds.
“This expanded Global Gag Rule is all about control,” Kumar says. “The current administration wants to control what people do with their bodies, what governments and NGOs can do with their own funds, and even what civil society is allowed to say about health, human rights and equity.”
Make no mistake: This policy is going to deny millions of people access to reproductive health care they’re legally entitled to in their own countries. And it will deeply damage the work of many feminist and social justice organizations around the world.
But together, we will resist and persist. Ipas will work tirelessly to support local partners and governments to understand the policy’s restrictions—and importantly, what services, actions and programs are still allowed.
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