Investigating the Early Impact of the Global Gag Rule on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes in Uganda

Margaret Giorgio, Guttmacher Institute
Frederick Makumbi, Makerere University
Simon P. S. Kibira, Makerere University
Suzanne Bell, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Elizabeth A. Sully, Guttmacher Institute

Background: The Global Gag Rule (GGR) prohibits organizations receiving U.S. funding from promoting or providing abortion services. This study assesses the early impact of the GGR on women’s outcomes in Uganda. Methods: This study uses a quasi-experimental pre/post design and data from the 2018/2019 PMA2020 female questionnaires. We classify districts as “more” or “less” exposed to the GGR and compare changes over time in a number of outcomes, including contraceptive use and access, pregnancy intention, and abortion. We use a difference-in-differences (DID) approach to test if changes may be attributable to the GGR. Results: At baseline, we observed statistically significant differences by exposure status in region, marital status and educational attainment, and here were no significant differences in SRH outcomes. We will present DID estimates to determine if the GGR had a statistically significant impact on study outcomes. Discussion/Conclusion: We will discuss implications of the study results for policy makers.