Johannesburg — US President George W Bush's decision to rescind current US policy toward foreign family planning agencies will result, tragically, in more abortions, says US-based Pacific News Service associate editor Mary Jo McConahay. McConahay has written on health and population issues for Sierra and other publications.

Her concern was sparked by Bush's move to revoke his predecessor Bill Clinton's executive orders banning the "global gag" rule, which bars US funds from going to international family planning groups that use their own funds to lobby for abortion rights or perform abortions.

Fears are mounting that SA reproductive health organisations relying on US funding may have to discontinue their work.

"If Bush's decision eliminates or weakens programmes among the poorest, there will be more unplanned pregnancies, and in a real world of few safe harbors, sadly more - not fewer - unsafe abortions," warns McConahay.

"Should any of the thousands of US-assisted family planning programmes - using money from another source - advocate for safe abortions in a country where they are illegal or perform safe abortions where legal, it can lose all US funding, including for humanitarian child welfare or adolescent education outreach. Even small cuts can close shoestring operations," she warns.

Worldwide, some 200 000 to 400 000 women and girls die from illegal, unsafe abortions each year, most in developing countries, according to the World Health Organisation. Others are mutilated or rendered infertile.

"The overwhelming emphasis of overseas family planning programmes subsidised by US dollars is on ensuring that pregnant women give birth to healthy youngsters and on keeping them that way," McConahay explains. "Often, this means assisting women to become financially independent, even in a small way.

"US taxpayer dollars do not fund abortions abroad - that has been outlawed since l973. For that matter, neither funded programmes nor planning experts consider abortion a safe or necessary method of birth control."

Loretta Kane, vice-president of the US National Organisation for Women held a vigil in Washington earlier this week to try and change the new Administration's mind, told reporters that Bush's executive order was "devastating news" for women around the world.

But SA's National Progressive Primary Healthcare Network (NPPHCN) spokesperson Clive Ingleby told iClinic that it is probably too soon to tell whether SA reproductive health organisations will be affected.