Sean Patrick Maloney: “by reinstituting the global gag rule as one of his first actions in office, President Bush quickly revealed how…”

“by reinstituting the global gag rule as one of his first actions in office, President Bush quickly revealed how uncompassionate his conservatism will be. The gag rule will take money away from the world's poorest women and girls. This is not the action of a moderate. The gag rule prevents doctors from giving the best medical advice to patients, it stops free speech, and it limits the effectiveness of family planning organizations. So this gag rule is not about preventing taxpayer dollars from being used for abortions, no matter what the President's spokesman says. This is a significant point. Language is important. By using language that leads people to believe that the ban will stop taxpayer money from being used for abortions, the Bush administration gave a positive spin to a negative action. We need to call them on it. That is why many of us are on the floor tonight. This is not about taxpayer money being used for abortion. It could not be. No American dollars have been used for abortions since 1973. That is the law of this country. The gag rule is about preventing organizations from giving good medical advice and care to patients. It coerces family planning clinics, doctors and organizations into sacrificing their right to counsel patients or even participate in democratic debates in order to receive U.S. funding for voluntary family planning services.”