The global gag rule is a ban on lobbying. If it were applied in the United States, organizations would not be able to lobby Congress on the issues that are most vital to them without jeopardizing their public funding. The global gag rule denies funds to local family planning agencies in other countries that provide both family planning and abortion, even if abortion services are carried out with their own funds. Family planning saves lives by reducing maternal and infant mortality, and promoting child survival by helping women plan their pregnancies. Family planning reduces the need for abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies.
Family planning is good for the environment.
Private, voluntary choices about family planning made by billions of couples for the good of their own families is a key to an environmentally sustainable future for the entire human family. There is an unmet need for family planning. An estimated 350 million couples around the world lack information and access to a full-range of family planning services. The global gag rule makes it harder not easier for these couples to exercise their right to decide the number and spacing of their children. Providers are wary of delivering any abortion-related services for fear of jeopardizing already limited funding.