On January 28, President Biden will revoke the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy allowing billions of dollars in American foreign aid to flood the developing world for funding abortions. In place since January 2017, the Protecting Life Policy (an expansion of the former Mexico City Policy) prevents foreign organizations that perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning from receiving global health funds from the U.S. government.
With the U.S. awarding approximately $10 billion for global health annually, the Policy’s impact on recipient countries is immense. The last evaluation indicated that the top two global abortion providers alone, International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International, lost out on $145 million under the previous policy. Funds were directed instead to a broad array of pressing health needs including HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and infectious diseases a true benefit for the countries most ravaged by
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28 January 2021
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) welcomes the news of President Biden’s decision to keep his promise and repeal the harmful Global Gag Rule (GGR) – also known as the Mexico City Policy.
Since its expanded reintroduction in 2017 by the previous administration, the Global Gag Rule has contributed to an increase in unintended and high-risk pregnancies, unsafe abortions – culminating in unnecessary maternal deaths. For IPPF, 53 healthcare projects in 32 countries were impacted by GGR, with some Member Associations losing up to 60% of their funding.
IPPF’s Director-General, Dr Alvaro Bermejo said:
“I welcome the decision by President Biden to repeal the Global Gag Rule.
»Supreme Court Stays Bombay HC s Order on Skin to Skin Contact for POCSO Sexual Assault After Uproar
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Supreme Court Stays Bombay HC s Order on Skin to Skin Contact for POCSO Sexual Assault After Uproar
The Supreme Court of India. (Image: PTI)
The Bombay High Court, modifying a sessions court order that held a man guilty of a minor s sexual assault, had ruled that groping a child without skin-to-skin contact with sexual intent does not amount to the offence under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
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The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Bombay High Court s controversial order acquitting an accused, which had stated skin-to-skin contact necessary to be classified as sexual assault under the POCSO Act. Attorney General KK Venugopal said the order would set a dangerous precedent.
»Sexual Assault is About Consent, Skin or No Skin: Bombay HC Faces Backlash After Ruling on Groping
3-MIN READ
Sexual Assault is About Consent, Skin or No Skin: Bombay HC Faces Backlash After Ruling on Groping
File photo of Bombay High Court
In the January 19 judgment, the Bombay High Court said groping a minor s breast without skin-to-skin contact cannot be termed sexual assault as defined under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
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The International Planned Parenthood Federation (South Asia) reacted to the recent Bombay High Court s Skin-to-skin contact ruling with grave concern on Monday. The IPPF said that the judgment is deeply flawed in its understanding of child sexual abuse and fails to take into account the power hierarchy when an adult person abuses his/her authority over a child/minor .