My amendment to FY19 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill - & other @AppropsDems amendments being offered - all boil down to one core value: a woman's fundamental right to plan her family and her future.http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/the-administration/393023-we-will-not-go-back-on-womens-health-and-rights …
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Offering my amendment now. It would strike the expanded Global Gag Rule as well as the ban on funding for the United Nations Population Fund.
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House bill shortchanges basic family planning & health services, leaving women vulnerable to preventable diseases & weakening their ability to achieve econ stability for themselves & families. Particularly egregious is expansion of GGR to ALL global health assistance.
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It is unconscionable to tie up $8.8 billion in global health assistance by inserting abortion politics into activities such as lifesaving nutrition programs and efforts to prevent and treat malaria, TB, and HIV.
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The Administration implemented this policy with NO analysis of its impact and has admitted there could be unanticipated effects.
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While the Administration is still “assessing” the impact, reports indicate that thousands of women have lost access to services from the most experienced providers who have been forced to close their doors.
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Meanwhile, mass confusion about the policy has led to a chilling effect, causing organizations to unnecessarily change or eliminate vital health services.
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We already know the Global Gag Rule, when only applied to family planning programs, hurts the health of men, women, and children. The expansion to all global health without knowing the precise impact is not only bad policy, it jeopardizes lives.
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One provider has estimated that approximately 2 million women will be denied reproductive health services as a result of the expanded policy.
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We have seen this in our travels. When I was in Cambodia in 2001, I met a woman, thin as a rail, when she came into a U.S. funded clinic with six or seven malnourished children trailing behind her. And she was noticeably pregnant with her next...
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Under this expanded policy: o Her doctor can’t have a factual convo about her health w/o worrying if even a simple convo would risk entire clinic’s funding. o Her kids’ doctors have to sign onto a policy regarding abortion before discussing handwashing or providing immunizations.
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My amendment does not change any of the current provisions in law that restrict the use of family planning funds. It would simply ensure that countries are setting their own health policies – not the United States.
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The lives saved from our work in maternal health, HIV, malaria or other diseases should be a source of pride for every U.S. citizen. Inserting the
#GGR into all global health programs will diminish effectiveness of this work & reduce our country’s role as a global health leader.Show this thread -
In closing, my amend doesnt change long-standing prohibition on funding for abortions. It simply allows aid recipients the ability to use their own resources, within the legal constraints of their countries, as they deem necessary to best serve men, women, and children in need.
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This destructive policy endangers our most successful global health programs. While we are just beginning to learn the impact of the expanded policy, the alarm bells are already ringing.
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We cannot, under any circumstance, allow this policy to be codified into law, as it will hit the most vulnerable the hardest, including those who are unable to access services due to stigma, poverty, violence, or HIV status.
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The House majority rejected my amendment to strike the expanded Global Gag Rule as well as the ban on funding for the United Nations Population Fund. Democrats will keep fighting to best serve men, women, and children in need!
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End of conversation
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Thank you, Mam!
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