Removing the “Global Gaga” will benefit millions of vulnerable women and girls around the world

January 28, 2021

The Biden-Harris administration’s decision to lift Mexico City’s harsh policy or “Global Gag Rule” is a welcome move that should now be reinforced by further action to reverse the great damage COVID-19 has done to the health and well-being of the population. vulnerable women, children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries.

The US administration’s decision to end Mexico City’s controversial policy, also known as the Global Gag Rule, was warmly welcomed today by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), an alliance of more than 1,000 organizations from more than 190 countries working to boost global health. goals for women, children and adolescents.

PMNCH has expressed hope that the new administration will go beyond renewing U.S. financial support to overseas organizations that provide basic family planning and reproductive health services and will support PMNCH Call to action, which in particular seeks to reverse the devastating effect of the pandemic on the health and well-being of millions of women, children and adolescents worldwide.

“The abolition of Mexico City policy is welcome news for millions of women and girls around the world,” said Helga Fogstad, executive director of PMNCH.

“This policy is responsible for denying funding and contraceptive supply to overseas family planning agencies. This in turn has increased the number of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions and endangered the health and even lives of thousands of girls and women.”

Mexico City policy has been pursued by every U.S. Republican administration since 1984. It prohibits foreign organizations receiving U.S. global health care from providing comprehensive abortion services, information, counseling, and referrals to advocate for restrictive laws, even with those outside the U.S. funds. The last four years have seen an unprecedented spread of the Gag rule, denying basic funding not only to family planning groups, but even to organizations involved in other areas of health and development, such as HIV / AIDS prevention groups, which have refused to comply with policies. . This has resulted in more unintentional pregnancies, increased unsafe abortions and higher maternal mortality rates – ironically, exactly what politics was supposed to prevent.

About 295,000 women died globally during and after pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period in 2017. In addition, the lack of high-quality sexual and reproductive health services puts women at risk. Between 2015 and 2019, it is estimated that there were 121 million unintended pregnancies per year, of which 61% ended in induced abortion. Research shows that the proportion of unsafe abortions is significantly higher in countries with very restrictive abortion laws than in those with less restrictive laws.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these problems. During 2020, the provision of basic health services for sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health was discontinued, vital clinics were closed or repurposed, and locks restricted free movement, putting women, children, and adolescents at even greater risk.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed great structural weakness in our societies, exposing vulnerable groups to even greater risk. Access to social safety nets and basic health services regardless of solvency are key functions of mitigating the impact of any health crisis.

Research in early 2020 Guttmacher Institute he estimated that even a 10% drop in the use of short-term and long-term reversible contraceptives could lead to nearly 49 million additional women with an unmet need for modern contraceptives and an additional 15 million unintended pregnancies during the year. A transition of 10% of abortions from safe to unsafe could lead to 325,000 additional unsafe abortions; and 1,000 additional maternal deaths in 2020.

These alarming figures threaten to reverse the progress made so far, unless we increase our commitment to women and girls. In July 2020, PMNCH members issued seven points Call to action in response to the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents. Building on its own Strategy 2021-2025, The Call to Action calls on leaders to protect and prioritize the rights and health of women and girls during the response and recovery to COVID-19 by strengthening political commitment, policies and funding for vital health services, including safe abortion, especially for the most vulnerable.

Responding to the call for action, in December 2020, a group of high-, low- and middle-income countries and foundations pledged $ 20.6 billion to rebuild services and protect the health of women, children and adolescents. $ 6.6 billion (32%) of the total pledge came from low- and middle-income countries themselves, especially Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Liberia and Nigeria.

Recognizing that the impact of the COVID-19 Global Gag rule cannot be undone by repealing Mexico City policy alone, PMNCH is teaming up with other agencies to add its vote to PMNCH member, Guttmacher Institute call for tangible advances in women’s sexuality and reproductive health and rights in Croatia the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration.

“The abolition of the division and harsh policies of Mexico City is an important first step, which PMNCH hopes will be complemented by further steps to eliminate the additional damage caused by COVID-19. It is now necessary to have the ambition to establish more strategies to promote sexual and reproductive rights in to all countries, ”said Helen Clark, chairwoman of the PMNCH committee and former prime minister of New Zealand.

Suggested social media posts

Twitter

PMNCH welcomes the decision of the #BidenHarris administration to abolish #GlobalGagRule as it is a great first step in reversing the damage that # COVID19 has done to the health and well-being of vulnerable women, children and adolescents #COVIDCallToAction

Read the press release: bit.ly/3qZlpue

A great first step to reverse the impact of #GlobalGagRule & # COVID19 is the abolition of Mexico City policy, PMNCH joins and supports @Guttmacher’s call for tangible progress for #SRHR women in the first ? days of the #BidenHarris administration.

Completing #GlobalGagRule is the right way to reverse the joint impact with # COVID19. PMNCH calls on the #BidenHarris administration to support our #COVIDCallToAction, which in particular seeks to reverse the devastating impact of the pandemic on the well-being of women, children and adolescents worldwide

Facebook

We welcome the decision of the #BidenHarris administration to repeal the policy of Mexico City or #GlobalGagRule, as it is the first step in reversing the joint impact of # COVID19 on the health of women, children and adolescents. We call on the new administration to support PMC’s #COVIDCallToAction which specifically seeks to reverse the disastrous impact of the pandemic on the health and well-being of millions of women, children and adolescents around the world.

Read the press release here: bit.ly/3qZlpue