Impacts of the Global Gag Rule on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Global South: A scoping review

Lane, Suzie, Ayeb-Karlsson, Sonja and Shahvisi, Arianne, (2020). Impacts of the Global Gag Rule on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Global South: A scoping review. Global Public Health, n/a-n/a

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  • Sub-type Journal article
    Author Lane, Suzie
    Ayeb-Karlsson, Sonja
    Shahvisi, Arianne
    Title Impacts of the Global Gag Rule on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Global South: A scoping review
    Appearing in Global Public Health
    Publication Date 2020-11-05
    Place of Publication Abingdon
    Publisher Taylor & Francis Online
    Start page n/a
    End page n/a
    Language eng
    Abstract The Global Gag Rule is a United States policy that blocks global health funding to foreign non-governmental organisations if they engage in abortion-related activities. It has been implemented by every Republican administration since 1984 and remains in operation at the time of writing in its most stringent and extensive form. It has been criticised for its implications for women’s bodily autonomy, its censorship of non-governmental organisations and health professionals, and for its impact on the health of populations in affected countries. To capture the effects of the policy to date, we conducted a scoping review in April 2020. Forty-eight articles met our eligibility criteria, and were analysed thematically, noting the effects on: the operations of non-governmental organisations; maternal health; sexually transmitted infections; marginalised groups; reproductive rights. We found that the policy increased the abortion rate and had a negative impact on maternal health, STIs, and the health of marginalised groups. We conclude that the policy amounts to the neocolonial co-optation of sexual and reproductive health in the Global South to advance an ideological agenda in the Global North. We urge that the policy be repealed as part of the broader project of protecting and decolonising sexual and reproductive health globally.
    UNBIS Thesaurus HEALTH POLICY
    HUMAN RIGHTS
    Keyword Global Gag Rule
    Global health
    Sexual and reproductive health
    Copyright Holder The Authors
    Copyright Year 2020
    Copyright type Creative commons
    DOI 10.1080/17441692.2020.1840611
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    Created: Mon, 16 Nov 2020, 21:15:14 JST by Aarti Basnyat on behalf of UNU EHS