"Congress has proved once again that it is unwilling to stand up to George W. Bush's assault on women's reproductive rights," said NOW Executive Vice President Kim Gandy.  "Women in the U.S. and around the world stand to lose access to critical health services at the hands of this Congress and this president."

Today the House of Representatives voted 218 to 210 to uphold one of George W. Bush's first actions in office–the reinstatement of the global gag rule.  The full House struck an amendment added to the State Department authorization bill by the House International Relations Committee.  The amendment would have overturned Bush's executive order and resumed funding to international family planning organizations that offer abortion counseling or services.

"Doctors everywhere must be allowed to give women patients complete and medically-sound information," said Gandy.  "Hundreds of thousands of women with unplanned pregnancies die every year due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth.  The U.S. can do much through its aid to family planning programs to reduce that toll."

The State Department bill will move next to the Senate where reproductive rights supporters may choose to add a similar amendment.  If language repealing the global gag rule makes it to the president's desk, however, he has threatened to veto it.

On April 22 NOW kicked off its Emergency Campaign for Women's Lives with a rally and march outside the capitol.  The campaign will draw strength from the majority of people who support abortion rights and birth control and will combat four years of expected legislation, judicial appointments and executive actions that limit women's reproductive freedom.

"George W. Bush and his friends in Congress can continue turning their backs on women, but not without a price.  When they put women's lives at risk, they also put their political futures at risk," Gandy said.