President Donald Trump reinstated Ronald Reagan’s infamous policy Monday, banning funding to groups who provide abortion services or information.
U.S. law has denied funding for any abortion procedure since the 1973 Helms Amendment. However, this policy expands what gets denied taxpayer dollars. The ban, known as the Mexico City Policy or Global Gag Rules, prohibits funding to nongovernmental organizations who offer abortions or abortion counseling, including Planned Parenthood. The ban also applies to organizations that use alternate funding for these services.
Aside from providing abortions, the policy bans organizations from discussing abortion as a family planning option. It also prohibits lobbying to change abortion laws in any country and campaigning information about abortion as a method of family planning.
Many people expected the ban as an outcome of Trump’s Presidency. He stated his plan to enact the policy during the campaign last year. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump “made it very clear that he’s a pro-life President.”
“He wants to stand up for all Americans, including the unborn,” Spicer said. “And I think the reinstatement of this policy is not just something that echoes that value, but respects taxpayer funding, as well.”
In response to the ban, some anti-abortion activists have expressed their appeasement with the policy. Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said people should applaud the ban.
“We applaud President Trump for putting an end to taxpayer funding of groups that promote the killing of unborn children in developing nations,” she said.
Others, however, say the policy demonstrates President Trumps’ disregard of women’s rights. International Planned Parenthood Federation, said the policy previously caused many of its partners to suffer. Clinics in Nepal, Kenya, and Ethiopia refused to stop providing full services, and because they lost U.S. funding, they were not able to provide as many contraceptives and clinics shut down.
Health experts also claim the policy does not decrease abortions but increases them. Because the policy shuts down health clinics, contraceptive supplies are not provided to people, which leads to unwanted pregnancies.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), said President Trump’s reenactment of the policy ignores research and favors ideological politics over women.
“We know that when family planning services and contraceptives are easily accessible, there are fewer unplanned pregnancies, maternal deaths and abortions,” she said.
Policy Background
President Ronald Reagan first enacted the policy in 1984. Administrators named it the Mexico City Policy because Reagan announced it at a United Nations conference in Mexico City. Democratic Presidents continuously revoke the policy, and Republican Presidents continue to reinstate it.
Many also refer to the policy as the ‘global gag rule.’ Critics say this is because it forbids foreign NGOs from using U.S. funds to provide information on abortion as a method of family planning.
