England A gag rule may be formally neutral, that is, forbidding discussions or arguments either for or against a particular policy. For example,
William Laud, the
Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of King
Charles I of England:forbade ministers to discuss the sublime mysteries associated with
Calvin's doctrine of predestination. They could not preach it, nor could they preach against it. They could not mention it at all ... For Laud, what was at stake was not so much the promotion of his own theological opinions as the suppression of the
furor theologicus that had caused so much devastation in England and throughout Europe in the aftermath of the Reformation.However, in practice, the effect (and in most cases, the intent) of even an
even-handed ban on advocating or opposing a particular policy will be to entrench the status quo.
Japan Malaysia A present-day example can be found in the
Dewan Negara (Senate) of Malaysia, which has a standing order prohibiting any member from proposing the repeal of those articles of the
Malaysian Constitution that reserve certain privileges for
Bumiputra (such as ethnic Malay) citizens and questioning the status of
Bahasa Malaysia as the national language.
United States The
slavery gag rule forbade the raising, consideration, or discussion of slavery in the
U.S. House of Representatives from 1836 to 1844. Related to
abortion rights, the
Mexico City Policy, which prohibits U.S. funding for organizations that provide abortions, referrals to abortion providers, and in some cases any family planning (
birth control) information, is sometimes referred to as the "global gag rule". == References ==