President Trump Just Reinstated the "Global Gag Rule," Which Will Deny Women All Over the World Access to Abortion

Mattie Kahn
Updated

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From ELLE

President Trump has reinstated the "global gag rule," a policy that denies foreign aid or federal funds to organizations around the world that provide or even "promote" abortions as a reproductive healthcare option. President Ronald Reagan established the rule in 1984, after it was introduced at the U.N. International Conference on Population in Mexico City. It has subsequently gone in and out of favor, rescinded by Democratic presidents and reinstated by Republican presidents ever since.

Trump signed the executive order in support of the global gag rule just one day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal across the United States. It is only the first move that Trump has made to roll back women's reproductive freedom, although he's promised there are more to come.

Already, opponents have issued fierce responses to the decision. "President Trump's reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule ignores decades of research, instead favoring ideological politics over women and families," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D–NH) in a statement. And the Center for American Progress published a preemptive report over the weekend to detail how women around the world will suffer for the move. "Women globally deserve the right to autonomy and comprehensive care," the organization wrote, adding on Twitter that the rule "infringes upon women's fundamental right to make informed decisions about their bodies and their health."

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