Before terror was king, one of Bush's first presidential acts was to re-instate the Global Gag Rule, forbidding American-funded foreign organizations from providing legal abortions, lobbying for abortion-law changes or even discussing abortions with patients. Once again, the Bush legacy is death.

According to a report by The Center for Reproductive Rights, women in poorer nations, denied safety and knowledge, are dying at a rate of 70,000 per year from abortion procedures that sometimes involve coat hangers or powdered glass. Millions more are permanently injured.

Fear of losing American funding has silenced many health workers, and talking abortion has already closed five clinics in Kenya alone. The few who do speak say the rule is counter-productive and a cause of unwanted pregnancies.

Although the Senate voted to amend the policy, Congress over-ruled them, and want to broaden the rule's scope. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls the policy "inappropriate, ill-advised and dangerous."

» Scott Saxon