End the Global Gag Rule!

I was going to publicize an effort by Engender Health to lobby Obama to overturn the global gag rule. But before I could do so, Obama overturned the global gag rule. So I am just going to take this opportunity to say: isn't it great to have a President who actually gets things done? And here is a note from Planned Parenthood thanking Obama:

I had no doubt it was going to happen, but I'm going to celebrate anyway. As one of his first official acts in office, President Obama has overturned the global gag rule. Join me in sending him our thanks today.

By overturning the global gag rule, President Obama has taken a tremendous first step toward promoting women's health around the world. Overseas health care providers will now be able to offer counseling, referrals, and services for the full range of reproductive health options to women without fear that the U.S. government will strip them of their funding.

I'm sending our new president a message of thanks on behalf of these providers, the women they serve, and those of us here in the U.S. who have been protesting the global gag rule since the day President Ronald Reagan first implemented it. Click here to add your name to our thank-you note.

I'm so glad President Obama made overturning the global gag rule a priority — and it's not just because Planned Parenthood and dedicated supporters like you have done so much to speak out against it. The fact is, the global gag rule was a threat to the health of millions of women.

Clinics have closed, contraceptive supplies have dwindled, and women were left without basic and critical health care services. As a result, there were more unwanted pregnancies and more unsafe abortions. Today, one woman dies every minute of every day due to pregnancy related causes, including unsafe abortion, and over 200 million women in developing countries who wish to delay or end childbearing lack access to modern contraceptives. Those are the women President Obama stood up for today.

It's been a long eight years, and we have a lot more work to do to roll back President Bush's awful legacy on women's health. The fight for access to reproductive health care and rights is an uphill one, and there is serious work to be done to rectify nearly a decade of bad policies, not just in the U.S. but around the world. In the short term, we can keep moving in the right direction by restoring funding for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund; removing abstinence-only requirements in HIV/AIDS funding; and increasing foreign assistance for reproductive health, including $1 billion for family planning.

Trust me, we're not going to let up, we're not going to stop working to protect and promote women's health. For almost four decades Planned Parenthood has been working to expand access to health care for women in developing countries worldwide. Part of that work is being vocal in our support for policies that expand access to comprehensive reproductive health care. So today, let's take a moment to recognize this first, important step forward.

Thank you, as always, and keep an eye out for upcoming actions you can take to help us win these battles for women around the world.

Obama hit the ground running and I am already liking what he is doing.