The Political Voices of Women

Here is a guest post by Emily Kronenberger from New Wave Girl.

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Women’s eNews published a story today written by Carol Roye, WeNews Commentator, Nurse Practitioner, and Professor of Nursing at Hunter College’s Bellevue School. This is a MUST READ for anyone who cares about women’s reproductive health and rights.

Roye’s piece, entitled “Global Gag Rule Must Not Be Domesticated,” warns of the dangers of the United States bringing its own Gag Rule policy, which it has exported to developing nations that receive U.S. Aid for the better part of the past 25 years, to bear here at home. The Global Gag Rule has had alarming implications for the women, girls, and families that have been subjected to it through its implementation by the U.S. in the developing world. Nevertheless, anti-choice and anti-family planning groups such as Focus on the Family are lobbying hard for the Bush Administration to put this Gag Rule in place here and restrict all Title X funds for U.S. family planning clinics that provide abortion in addition to a wide range of family planning and sexual health services, before the next President takes office.

First Step: Read Roye’s article for more information on the impact of the Gag Rule and for her first-hand experiences of having to comply with this policy while practicing as a nurse and providing adolescent health services: visit http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3648 for the full article.

Next Step: Visit www.accessdenied.org to learn more about how you can help advocate to repeal the Global Gag Rule and to prevent it from ever making its way back to the U.S.