Election Results Suggest Greater Support for International Family Planning

International family planning enjoys a long history of bipartisan support. So what do the recent election results mean for important issues such as foreign aid for family planning and policies such as the Mexico City Policy and the Global Gag Rule?

In the November 2006 elections, Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress. The incoming Senate will be comprised of 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and 2 Independents, 55 of whom are family planning supporters (presently 55 R - 45 D, counting Independents as Democrats). The House will be comprised of 232 Democrats and 201 Republicans, 218 of whom are considered to be family planning supporters (presently 229 R- 202 D, with 4 vacancies and counting Independents as Democrats). Two races are still undecided.

Due to constrained resources and competing priorities, family planning funding levels are likely to remain unchanged in the immediate future. The Global Gag Rule/Mexico City Policy is also expected to stand for the final two years of the Bush Administration, as there are not enough votes in the House or Senate to override a Presidential veto.

The key shift for the international family planning community will likely originate from the Democrats’ control of committees and its legislative agenda, oversight, and investigations. Notably, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), an EngenderHealth ally and international family planning champion, is likely to become the Chair of the House Appropriations Foreign Operations Subcommittee. Observers expect that there will be investigations into the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the abstinence-only earmark, along with hearings on the Bush Administration’s restructuring effort that seeks to fold the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the nation’s key foreign aid agency, into the State Department’s broader foreign diplomacy strategy.

Under the direction of House Speaker-Elect Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the Democratic leadership will likely seek to broach unifying issues. The Ensuring Access to Contraceptives Act of 2006 (H.R. 4736) could serve as a possible platform to solidify the pro–family planning vote.  The bill allows organizations to receive contraceptives donated by the U.S. even if they have opted not to sign the Mexico City Policy and, as a result, currently do not receive U.S. family planning funds.  It would also double the amount of funding that the United States currently spends on overseas distribution of contraceptives, including condoms.

Family planning offers lawmakers a cost-effective tool in foreign assistance with multiple benefits, including improvement of the health of mothers and children and reduction of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions. Education of freshmen Members and their staff will be critical when the new Congress convenes in January.