President Obama Overturns Dangerous Mexico City Policy

(Hawthorne, NY) – Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic (PPHP) applauds President Obama for putting women’s health first by taking immediate action to overturn the harmful Mexico City Policy, also known as the “global gag rule.”

Reina Schiffrin, President/CEO, Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic (PPHP) issued the following statement:

“President Obama’s repeal of the global gag rule ushers in a new day for women’s health here and around the world, signaling that the U.S. can once again be a leader in the fight for equal access, rights and freedom for women around the world. For the past eight years, the Bush Administration’s gag rule has prevented countless women from receiving the full range of reproductive services they need to protect their health and strengthen their economic stability.  Now, millions more women around the world will receive critical basic services including safe abortion and birth control. Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic thanks President Obama for making women’s health and safety a priority.”

For the last eight years, the rule has prevented foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from using their own funds to provide any services related to abortion, including counseling and referrals, if they wish to receive U.S. family planning assistance. The restrictions prevented health care providers from discussing abortion as an option, even if abortion is legal in their country, and preventing them from lobbying to make or keep abortion legal. The rule resulted in thousands of deaths among women in the developing world each year and left many without essential reproductive health care.

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Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, Inc (PPHP) is the 16^th largest affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and operates 13 medical centers in Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties.  In 2007, PPHP has provided services to over 37,000 patients in over 73,000 visits.  We conducted over 1,700 education programs reaching more than 32,000 youth and adults, and mobilized approximately 10,000 advocates to protect reproductive health care rights.  PPHP has served the community for 75 years, and is dedicated to educating and empowering individuals to make responsible choices regarding their sexuality and sexual health.  Planned Parenthood has done more to reduce the incidence of abortion and unintended pregnancy than any other health care provider or advocacy group.  PPHP is headquartered in Hawthorne NY. For more information about PPHP services and programs, visit http://www.pphp.org/.