Sometimes I am very proud of the UK Department for International Development (full disclosure: I am on sabbatical leave from DFID).  Today is one of those days.  Sarah Bosely in the Guardian today:

The British government will today publicly defy the United States by giving money for safe abortion services in developing countries to organisations that have been cut off from American funding. …

The "global gag" rule, as it has become known, was imposed by President George Bush in 2001. It requires any organisation applying for US funds to sign an undertaking not to counsel women on abortion – other than advising against it – or provide abortion services.

The UK will today become the founder donor of a fund set up specifically to attempt to replace the lost dollars and increase safe abortion services.

via gendergeek

Update: BBC has the story here 

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Owen Barder

Owen is CEO of Precision Agriculture for Development. He has worked in the office of the UK Prime Minister, the British Treasury, the Department for International Development; and at the Center for Global Development.

6 Comments

Bishop Hill · February 7, 2006 at 6:17 am

Why does she have to portray this as "defying the United States"? This would imply that she thinks that the US has been lobbying the UK not to fund these kind of services. She doesn’t present any evidence to support such an assumption. There again, perhaps it’s just another dreary sophomoric attempt to bash Wicked BushHitler.

MatGB · February 7, 2006 at 2:31 pm

Bishop; the US, from what I’ve read, has been lobbying people not to fund such services.  Ergo this is a defiance, and a damned good one.Govt does the right thing shock!  Cool, needed cheering up… 

Bishop Hill · February 9, 2006 at 11:41 am

If that’s the case, then I withdraw my comment. She would have been better to say so though.

mervin · June 20, 2006 at 11:45 am

i try to find something at google.com and take it on your site…thanks

ciera · July 14, 2006 at 8:46 pm

help me i need to know if abortion is the right thing.im 16 years old i have my mom but  its hard i want a abortion but my mom

is against it.whats right please let me know

British pride: Govt gets something right? - Voting TaKtiX · September 14, 2006 at 1:58 pm

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