Back in the Bush II years (doesn’t it feel good to say it like that?), I remember being appalled when I learned about the Global Gag Rule. The rule stipulates that the U.S. cannot provide any health funding for female health services in any nation that engage in abortion services at all—even if those services are a tiny percentage of the other services (such as family planning, sexual and maternal health, mammograms, and other vital women’s healthcare needs) offered. Imagine how many lives could’ve been saved had this rule not existed.

The lives of women across the globe should not depend on the religion of the person who holds the office of President of the United States. These are health issues, not religious ones, and a person’s religious beliefs should not whimsically affect laws—in the United States or elsewhere—that affect millions of other people. Not only do these women and their families struggle without a proper education about their own sexual health and reproductive planning; they also cannot afford vital services like birth control and obstetric exams that are necessary for their own livelihood and that of their children.

Fortunately, like he promised, President Obama quickly repealed the law during his first year in office. Even so, the rule has fluctuated between being on and off for the past 25 years—an unacceptable occurrence when the lives of women are at stake. To stop this yo-yo affect from continuously happening, Representative Nita Lowey (D) of New York  and Senator Barbara Boxer (D) of California have introduced the Global Democracy Promotion Act, or GDPA (H.R. 4879/S. 311). This act would make it permanently illegal to dismantle health services to clinics and other providers simply because they provide abortion access, and any attempt to re-instate the Global Gag Rule in the future impossible.

If passed, this act would preserve non-governmental organizations’ rights to obtain funds for family planning services from the United States—vital support that will ensure that lifesaving information and services are provided to women and families who need it most all across the globe.

Please stand up as a citizen cosponsor of the Global Democracy Promotion Act today by writing or calling your representative and senator and asking him or her to support this important legislation. Click here to send an automatic response (remember to add your own words to make it have a bigger impact!) or to get the phone numbers of your representative and senator so you can make the call.