US POLICY ON ABORTION SERVICES OVERSEAS

That this House notes that a year has passed since the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule, otherwise known as the Mexico City Policy, by the US Administration; recognises that this expanded policy has started to have a devastating impact on access to reproductive health services in the developing world and that the policy threatens to undermine the fundamental human rights of millions of women; further notes that this policy is counterproductive and will lead to more unsafe abortions by limiting access to contraception and life-saving safe abortion services; acknowledges that non-governmental organisations which will not adhere to the policy, such as Marie Stopes International and the International Planned Parenthood Federation, can no longer receive new funding support from the US and risk having to scale back interventions; and urges the Government to support those affected organisations and to work with like-minded governments to ensure women in the developing world can continue to exercise their reproductive rights through access to high quality services.