3 ms·

"decent free baseline healthcare with contraception included...One of the main obstacles to the latter is US religious conservatives." I should imagine Catholi

by fsloth 10y ago

"decent free baseline healthcare with contraception included...One of the main obstacles to the latter is US religious conservatives." I should imagine Catholic church's condemnation of birth control is the larger political issue in countries that are not US.

lazyasciiart 10y ago
The US global gag rule, which has been in effect under every Republican president for decades, blocks foreign aid funding to any organization that mentions abortion. I think it was estimated to cut aid spending by $9 billion when Trump re-introduced it this year (especially as he expanded it from the old policy of health-related organisations to all organisations).
- fsloth 10y ago
  I had no idea such a gag rule existed. Does this affect distribution of contraceptives in some twisted way as well?
  - JshWright 10y ago
    Of course it does. Many organization that provide contraception also provide abortion services, and therefore are ineligible for funding.
    - ptaipale 10y ago
      Though if you really wanted, you could provide contraception without providing abortion services (it's a policy that these two are often combined, not logistical or economic or any other necessity.)
      - lazyasciiart 10y ago
        You have to avoid ever mentioning abortion as an option, not just avoid providing them yourselves. There are tons of places that only offer contraception which are affected by this rule. There are organisations which don't even offer medical services but which support the availability of abortion, and they also lose funding under this rule.
  - lazyasciiart 10y ago
    It affects the distribution of contraceptives very directly. It means that no organisation that ever talks about abortion as an option for women can receive American funding. Doesn't matter if their primary work is providing contraception or providing childcare, if you tell women they could get an abortion, or you lobby a politician to make abortion more available/safer, you lose funding. https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/mexico-city-policy-global-gag-rule/ https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/mexico-city-policy-global...

by fsloth 10y ago

lazyasciiart 10y ago

The US global gag rule, which has been in effect under every Republican president for decades, blocks foreign aid funding to any organization that mentions abortion. I think it was estimated to cut aid spending by $9 billion when Trump re-introduced it this year (especially as he expanded it from the old policy of health-related organisations to all organisations).

fsloth 10y ago
I had no idea such a gag rule existed. Does this affect distribution of contraceptives in some twisted way as well?
- JshWright 10y ago
  Of course it does. Many organization that provide contraception also provide abortion services, and therefore are ineligible for funding.
  - ptaipale 10y ago
    Though if you really wanted, you could provide contraception without providing abortion services (it's a policy that these two are often combined, not logistical or economic or any other necessity.)
    - lazyasciiart 10y ago
      You have to avoid ever mentioning abortion as an option, not just avoid providing them yourselves. There are tons of places that only offer contraception which are affected by this rule. There are organisations which don't even offer medical services but which support the availability of abortion, and they also lose funding under this rule.
- lazyasciiart 10y ago
  It affects the distribution of contraceptives very directly. It means that no organisation that ever talks about abortion as an option for women can receive American funding. Doesn't matter if their primary work is providing contraception or providing childcare, if you tell women they could get an abortion, or you lobby a politician to make abortion more available/safer, you lose funding. https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/mexico-city-policy-global-gag-rule/ https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/mexico-city-policy-global...