Center for Reproductive Rights
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Dear team,

I wanted you to see my statement on today's historic inauguration of
President Joseph R. Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

- Nancy

Statement from Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for
Reproductive Rights

Today's inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th president of the
United States presents an urgent opportunity to put human needs and
human rights at the center of a new U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
It is also a barrier-breaking day, as Vice-President Kamala Harris
becomes the first woman, first Black American, and first South Asian
American to hold the office.

The urgency of this moment is abundantly clear. People are suffering
and dying from COVID-19, the U.S. economy is in turmoil, and armed
insurrectionists bearing racist symbols stormed the U.S. Capitol two
weeks ago. The opportunity is now to roll-back the harms of the past
four years and move forward on the vision of reproductive rights for
all. President Biden ran on a platform that embraced America's
diversity as its greatest strength, promised to address human rights
wherever they are under threat, and committed to protect and advance
reproductive health, rights, and justice.

We urge President Biden to take quick and decisive action to reverse
the Trump administration's harmful policies and to move forward
on this critical agenda.

Specifically, we call on the new administration to:

* Promote the health and well-being of women and girls in U.S.
foreign policy:

* Rescind the Global Gag Rule: This policy bans federal
funding to international health care providers if they
provide counsel or advocate for abortion access, even when
they use a separate funding source to do so.

* Restore reporting on sexual and reproductive health and
rights in the State Department's annual country reports on
human rights.

* Restore funding to the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) and rejoin and restore funding to the World Health
Organization (WHO). UNFPA is the lead U.N. agency focused
on sexual and reproductive health. The WHO coordinates
high-impact research and sets global standards on sexual
and reproductive health and rights.

* Stop wrongly implementing the Helms Amendment while
pushing for its Congressional repeal: For nearly 50 years,
the Helms Amendment has barred U.S. foreign aid from being
used for abortion services "as a method of family
planning." Prior administrations have wrongly treated this
as a total ban on abortion care, even in cases of rape,
incest, or the endangerment of life or health.

* Rescind Trump-Era Regulations, including the Domestic Gag Rule,
which prohibits clinics receiving Title X family planning funds
from referring patients for abortion services, regulations that
allow health care workers to deny reproductive health services
and information, and regulations that allow employers and
universities to deny contraceptive coverage to their employees
and students.

* Promote reproductive health policies guided by science, not
ideology:?The FDA should take the same approach to
allowing access to medication abortion by telemedicine, in line
with its approach to other drugs.

* Support policies to end racial disparities in maternal health
care by launching an interagency task force?on maternal
care, promoting expansion of Medicaid coverage to at least one
year postpartum, and championing passage of the Black Maternal
Health Momnibus Act.

In addition to taking these actions that are within the power of the
executive branch, we also call on President Biden to champion
legislation to address the abortion access crisis. Since 2011, states
have enacted over 500 restrictions on abortion access. These come on
top of policies that deny insurance coverage for abortion to those who
receive their health insurance from the federal government, including
Medicaid. Restrictions on abortion access and coverage have fallen
disproportionately on Black, Indigenous, and people of color, people
living on low incomes, and young people. Congress must address the
abortion access crisis and long-standing injustice of the Hyde
Amendment by passing the Women's Health Protection Act and the
EACH Woman Act.

As the Biden administration combats the devastating coronavirus
pandemic, it must also move forward to advance reproductive rights
because the need for access to the full range of reproductive health
care including contraception, maternal health care, and abortion care
does not abate in a pandemic.

The Center for Reproductive Rights looks forward to working with the
Biden Administration, the new Congress, our supporters, and the
vibrant field of reproductive rights, health and justice advocates to
bring about the world we envision where every person has the ability
to make decisions about their reproductive life and has equitable
access to the full range of reproductive health services.











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The Center for Reproductive Rights uses the power of law to advance reproductive rights as fundamental human rights around the world.

© Center for Reproductive Rights
199 Water St.
New York, NY 10038

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