NEW RESEARCH: Global Gag Rule Has Caused Harm to the People of Kenya

WASHINGTON — Today, partners of Planned Parenthood Global — the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the African Population and Health Research Center — released new research detailing how the Trump administration’s global gag rule has disrupted health care access in Kenya and harmed individuals and communities. 

Since 2017, the global gag rule has prohibited foreign non-governmental organizations from receiving any U.S. global health assistance if they provide information, referrals, or services for legal abortion or advocate for the legalization of abortion in their country, even if these activities are supported solely with non-U.S. funds. The Trump administration has twice expanded this harmful policy, first to apply to all global health assistance and again by extending the gag to any funds from any source that flow through a gagged organization.

Though the policy targets abortion, this new research reveals the global gag rule’s harm on Kenyan health care has extended to a disturbing range of other critical health services — including HIV testing and treatment — exposing and exacerbating weaknesses and vulnerabilities already present in Kenya’s health system. Half of the organizations interviewed also described disruptions in referral networks for family planning, abortion, and post-abortion care. Beyond these direct effects, the global gag rule exudes a chilling effect that has swept across Kenya, silencing and fracturing health coalitions. During just the first 18 months the global gag rule was forced onto providers and patients in Kenya, it disrupted sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy efforts and resulted in critical funding losses and disruptions to health service delivery and partnerships.

Statement from Monica Kerrigan, executive director, Planned Parenthood Global: 

“Today’s new research adds to the ample rigorous studies that demonstrate how the global gag rule inflicts a crushing blow to health care access for people around the world, especially those who already face systemic barriers to care, including women and girls, young people, and LGBTQ+ people. It also further demonstrates what the State Department attempted to bury in its own report earlier this week: the global gag rule is significantly disrupting service delivery across health programs for communities around the world, which is especially critical now as we face the COVID-19 pandemic. The people of Kenya have a human right to bodily autonomy, and this new research highlights how this abhorrent neocolonialist policy is clearly obstructing that right. All people deserve access to health care from the most qualified providers, no matter where they live. Planned Parenthood will continue the fight to end the global gag rule once and for all.”

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of State released its own report on the global gag rule. Despite the State Department’s claims to the contrary, the report outlined the profound impact of the policy on U.S. global health assistance and clearly illustrated disruptions in care across a range of global health programs, including HIV/AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, tuberculosis, and nutrition. 

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.

For more than 45 years, Planned Parenthood Global has supported access to sexual and reproductive health care and advocated for reproductive rights around the world. In partnership with more than 100 organizations across 9 focus countries in Africa and Latin America, we advance the health and rights of young people, women and families, with an emphasis on the most vulnerable and underserved. Last year, our partners provided over 1.8 million people with sexual and reproductive health information and services. Our unique sustainability model sets us apart, as we empower partners to stand on their own. We help grassroots organizations develop solid reproductive health programs, identify other sources of funding, build their communications and advocacy skills, and develop strategic plans. Planned Parenthood Global is the international arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.