Dear Leaders in Congress,
President Biden’s repeal of the Global Gag Rule sent a strong message — that safe abortion is health care. While this decision is a welcome and necessary change, it is only the first step in stopping the harm that this rule has caused, rebuilding effective partnerships, and restoring access to critical health care around the world.
For decades, the Global Gag Rule has blocked health care access, stifled local advocacy efforts, and undermined reproductive health and rights worldwide. Under every Republican since President Reagan, the Gag Rule has been U.S. policy. It puts lifesaving services out of reach for communities who already face systematic barriers to health care. The last four years dramatically magnified the harmful impacts of this rule, as the Trump Administration expanded the policy in unprecedented ways.
Permanently repealing the Global Gag Rule by supporting the Global HER Act will ensure that the U.S. can build sustainable partner networks and make long term progress on a range of critical health issues. We thank you for considering the Act, which has now been endorsed by 114 diverse organizations, has bipartisan backing in the Senate, and has record high approval in the House.
We urge you to take the next step: Call the Global HER Act to a vote and pass it immediately, so that no U.S. president can ever play politics with the Gag Rule – and women’s right to comprehensive health care — ever again.