Protesters hold signs as they march to the White House during a march and rally to support women’s health programs and protest the White House global gag rule on March 8, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Women’s rights groups on Thursday denounced a report issued by the State Department on the impact of the Trump administration’s reinstatement of the global gag rule, also known as the Mexico City policy — saying the misleading document ignores the clear negative impacts the policy is having on poor communities and women around the world that have lost access to vital health services.
Yet in its review of Trump #GlobalGagRule, @StateDept omitted that clinics are once again shutting down & does not address predicted impacts on people losing critical health services. #maternalhealth
— Guttmacher Institute (@Guttmacher) February 8, 2018
The global gag rule, first applied to U.S. aid in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, rescinds funding from non-governmental organizations and international family planning groups unless they agree not to provide abortion care or counseling related to abortion.
After his inauguration, President Donald Trump announced his administration would observe an expanded version of the rule, applying it to all global health assistance programs instead of just those focused on reproductive health — putting about $7 billion of funding for international health aid in question unless organizations agreed to honor the administration’s opposition to abortion.
According to the State Department, 733 organizations have agreed to halt abortion care in exchange for funding. Four have refused, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International — two of the world’s largest providers of reproductive healthcare in developing countries.
The groups are losing $100 million and $80 million in aid, respectively, and their local partners in impoverished countries have felt the effects.
The two…