WooHOOOO!

Yesterday, according to Population Connection, our nations Sentors voted 52-46 in favor of ending the Global Gag Rule. This was an admendment sponsored by none other than Senator's Barbara Boxer of CA, Patty Murray of WA and Olympia Snowe of ME.

This is what the email I received said:

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate adopted, 52 to 46, to lift the Global Gag Rule that President Bush imposed early in his first term.

This policy restricts free speech, interferes in the doctor-patient relationship, and threatens access to family planning overseas. The gag rule makes organizations choose between providing a critical service or participating in their own country's political system. Such a rule threatens both reproductive health care and the development of democracy in poor countries everywhere.

Tuesday's vote to overturn the gag rule came as an amendment sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) during debate on a State Department funding bill. Chief sponsor of the amendment Sen. Boxer said the restrictions deny health centers overseas the right to use their own money to provide health care options for women.

"It is very important to make sure that women around the world are given the health care they deserve," Boxer said.

"The Bush administration has imposed a political ideology on the world. We cannot allow this undemocratic policy to deny women and their children health care and ultimately sentence them to die," said Murray on the Senate floor.

Sen. Murray said unwanted pregnancies are having a devastating effect in poor countries.

"It doesn't get much attention, but in the developing world complications from pregnancy is one of the leading causes of death for women ... That is more than one woman dying every minute of every day," Murray said on the Senate floor.

After the vote, Snowe said, "The Global Gag Rule infringes on a woman's right to personal, private medical care. This is a question of making sensible medical care available to women."

To see how your Senators voted, visit: Population Connection Reports

We strongly urge you to take a few minutes to contact your Senators about this important vote. Please thank those members who voted "Yes" and express your disappointment with members who voted "No." You can reach your senator(s) by calling them via the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121.

To the right, once you click on the link to Population Connection, you can click again to see how your Senator(s) voted (or check out the link within the email and it will take you there straightaway). I had one who voted Yea and one who voted Nay, which is kind of interesting but I'm happy the yea's still won.