Political Quotes

“Madam President, reserving the right to object, I am disappointed that my colleague would try to codify a policy that has been proven to cause extensive harm to the most vulnerable women and families around the world. In the past 3 years, we have seen the global impact of this policy. Health clinics have closed, access to care has decreased, and lives are needlessly put at risk. When women in developing countries and other parts of the world don't have access to family planning and information they need for women's reproductive health, abortions actually increase rather than decrease. Research shows that by decreasing access to information about modern contraceptive options, abortion rates increase. This policy doesn't stop abortions; it only limits the resources that are available that prevent women from having unwanted pregnancies. My Republican colleagues can call it whatever they want--the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy, the Mexico City Policy--I call it dangerous and deadly. In fact, instead of protecting life, the global gag rule erects new barriers to critical health services, including reproductive health services, for people and communities who already have limited access to affordable, high quality healthcare. Across U.S. global health assistance, we are seeing a breakdown in systems of health care provisions which disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable, hard-to-reach populations.…”