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Global Access to Abortion
The United States Contributes to
Women's Lack of Abortion Rights Globally
In 1973, Senator Jesse Helms authored a law - the Helms
Amendment - that prevents any United States international family
planning money from funding abortions.
In 1984, the Reagan Administration further restricted the ability
of international family planning agencies to provide women with
safe, legal, and accessible abortion. Under the "Mexico City
Policy" imposed by the Reagan Administration, overseas non-governmental
agencies (NGOs) were prohibited from receiving US funds if they
performed or actively provided information on abortion, even if
they did so with their own funds and in accordance with their own
laws. This policy, also known as the Global Gag Rule, imposed
upon free speech and limited women's access to information.
In 1993, the Clinton Administration ended the "Mexico City Policy."
However, anti-choice congressional leaders continue to push for
its reinstatement.
In addition, the United States is the only industrialized country
that has not ratified CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. CEDAW is a United Nations
treaty that serves as an international Bill of Rights for Women. Adopted
by the United Nations in 1979, CEDAW is the only human rights treaty
to include family planning. In countries where a woman's reproductive
health and options for family planning are limited due to cultural
or legal restraints, CEDAW, if enforced, has the potential to ensure
those basic rights. US refusal to ratify CEDAW undermines its implementation
worldwide. Although 154 countries have ratified CEDAW, Senator
Jesse Helms, Chairman of the US Foreign Relations Committee, refuses
to hold hearings on CEDAW and send the treaty to the full Senate for
passage.
GLOBAL ACCESS | CLINIC
VIOLENCE | RESTRICTIONS
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Global Access
Facts
46 million abortions occur worldwide every
year
Of these, almost half, or 20 million take
place where abortion is considered illegal
Abortion remains illegal in 76 countries
around the world (IPPF, UNFPA)
According to the United Nations, 600,000 women
die annually from pregnancy related complications worldwide
At least 13% (78,000) of these deaths are related
to the complications of unsafe abortions. Comparatively, the total
number of U.S. soldiers that died during the entirety of the Vietnam War
is 50,000.
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