TO THE EDITOR:
Conversations about abortion are on the rise due to the recent death of “Jane Roe," the plaintiff in the historic Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion. President Trump’s reinstatement of the global gag rule makes these conversations more important than ever.
Formerly known as the Mexico City Policy, the global gag rule prevents non-governmental organizations from disseminating any information about abortions, attempting to protect women’s reproductive health. Ironically, when the global gag rule was last in effect (2001-2009) abortion rates in several African countries doubled and global health programs suffered. Many clinics had to close, leading to a rise in unsafe abortions. Unsafe abortions already cause 47,000 deaths annually, and this number will increase with the global gag rule’s reinstatement.
Now is a critical time to fight for abortion rights, as condemning abortion abroad is the first step to condemning abortion at home. A bill has been introduced to block the global gag rule from taking effect in 2018: the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act. The Global HER Act would permanently repeal the global gag rule and currently has 46 co-sponsors in the Senate and 137 in the House of Representatives.
If you feel passionately about stopping the global gag rule, you are not alone and you can take action. Sign the online petition to add your voices to thousands of others asking President Trump to rethink the global gag rule, and instead, #Fight4HER.
Rachel Maguire
Junior
Psychology and women’s and gender studies
