Some of you have reached out for support on messaging on the US Elections. Today, the people of the USA go to the polls to cast their vote for President. Whilst results may be announced on Wednesday or Thursday, a definitive outcome may also take some time.
The stakes are high for our sector, especially for those of you who have programs impacted by the global gag rule, and many of you will be keen to put out strong statements. Due to our long history, and the partnership with our US member association PPFA, it is important that the IPPF community is thoughtful about how we react. In the event of a delayed outcome it is critical that IPPF holds the line, and coordinates a response with PPFA and other SRHR partners.
Once we do receive notification, we have attached the statements we will release, if useful. In the event of a Biden win, our focus is on pushing for the permanent repeal of the global gag rule – this remains an international priority. In the event of a Trump re-election, we would re-assert the harm of the global gag rule and show solidarity for global SRHR (and democracy!).
On the point on managing expectations about *when* we will know about the election outcome – if it is a strong win for Biden, the race could be called election night. In that event, media could be focused on post-election violence. But if it is a tighter race and comes down to states with slower systems, we may not know the outcome for some days.
Regardless of the outcome, we ask colleagues to lead with our values and what we all stand for and want to see in the world.
Please do NOT prognosticate or make other assumptions/comments on what the election means for PPFA. If Trump wins, please follow the messaging attached, and follow the lead of PPFA and IPPF who are coordinating closely on this. We do not want immediate election messaging to be about fundraising but instead focused on our mission and what we hope for the world.
We trust this guidance is hopeful and look forward to hearing from you if you do need any support. Please do also forward any media our way.
Warmest
Mina, Amina and the communications + digital team
IPPF
Download US Election Statement (auto-translated).