On Monday, January 23rd, President Donald Trump reinstated a policy critics refer to as the Global Gag Rule, which will eliminate U.S. foreign aid to health care providers abroad to offer abortion. This policy was introduced in 1984 by President Reagan and was then repealed in 1992 by President Clinton. This was again reinstated in 2001 by President Bush, only to be repealed again in 2009 by President Obama.
As explained by The New York Times, “United States law already prohibits the use of American taxpayer dollars for abortion services anywhere, including in countries where the procedure is legal. But this order takes it further. It freezes United States funding to health care providers in poor countries if they include abortion counseling or if they advocate the right to seek abortion in their countries.”
Of course, those who are against abortion are happy to see this policy being reinstated, while critics are outraged. Critics consider this to represent the new adminstration’s opposition of women’s reproductive rights.
According to The New York Times, health policy experts say that past restrictions on abortion services have not decreased abortion rates but have only increased rates of illegal, often unsafe, abortions.
Reinstating this policy is a bold response to the world-wide Women’s March held on Saturday in objection to Trump’s presidency and in support for women’s reproductive rights. This move has certainly set the tone for Trump’s administration.