Shaheen Statement on President Trump’s Reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule

Shaheen will introduce bipartisan legislation in the Senate tomorrow that would permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy

(Washington, DC) -- U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the only woman on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the below statement following President Trump's executive order to reinstate the Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy. This policy bans federal funds for non-governmental organizations that provide abortion services or provide information about abortion as part of family planning services, forcing clinics to choose between providing limited reproductive health services while accepting U.S. funds or providing comprehensive family planning and reproductive healthcare with a limited budget. Tomorrow, Shaheen will introduce bipartisan legislation in the Senate that would permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule.

"The Trump Administration and Republican leadership have made no secret of their dangerous obsession with rolling back reproductive rights," said Senator Shaheen. "President Trump's reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule ignores decades of research, instead favoring ideological politics over women and families. We know that when family planning services and contraceptives are easily accessible, there are fewer unplanned pregnancies, maternal deaths, and abortions. And when women have control over their reproductive health, it improves the long-term health of mothers and children and creates a lasting economic benefit. I will continue to stand up to President Trump and Republican leadership in Congress who are intent on rolling back women's access to reproductive healthcare, and will introduce bipartisan legislation to repeal the Global Gag Rule for good."

Shaheen has been a leader in the Senate on family planning issues and on international family planning in particular. This month, Shaheen addressed the issue with President Trump's cabinet nominees Rex Tillerson and Nikki Haley in their respective confirmation hearings.

Read this original document at: https://www.shaheen.senate.gov/news/press/shaheen-statement-on-president-trumps-reinstatement-of-the-global-gag-rule