The Implications of the Global Gag Rule on Family Planning Use in Peru and Bolivia

Abstract

The implementation of the Global Gag Rule in 1984 meant that foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) could not promote or perform abortions in order to maintain their aid from the United States. Although this policy focuses specifically on abortion, little research exists on the relationship between the Global Gag Rule and contraceptive behavior. Based on women’s contraceptive choice data, this study uses a series of linear and fixed-effects regressions to determine changes in contraceptive behavior from 1990-2008 in Peru and Bolivia. Results indicate that during the George W. Bush administration, women had a lower probability of not using contraceptives and a higher probability of using traditional or folkloric methods than they did during the Clinton administration. Furthermore, women’s risk of using tubal ligation was greater during the Clinton years compared to either Bush administration. The results suggest that the Global Gag Rule has real implications for women’s contraceptive use, and that the implementation of this policy in the future the will likely alter women’s contraceptive choices and behaviors.