Expanded Mexico City Policy Could Affect Fight Against Zika, HIV/AIDS Alexandra Villarreal - NBC News
go to original February 2, 2017

The Abortion Rate Is at an All-Time Low, Why? (DNews)

Most presidents decide in their first week whether to keep or scrap the so-called Mexico City Policy that bans U.S. aid from going to groups abroad that provide access or information about abortion.

President Donald Trump’s executive action on Jan. 23 to bring back the policy was not itself surprising for a Republican president. But reproductive health advocates are alarmed by the rule's expansion, with some claiming that it goes against American values.

“We’re telling organizations that they can’t use their own money to advocate for supportive and more liberalized policies,” said Jonathan Rucks, director of advocacy at reproductive health champion PAI. “This is an incredible overreach on the part of the U.S. government.”

The Mexico City Policy originated with Ronald Reagan in 1984 and has been called a political football. Whether it is enforced depends on the party controlling the White House. It was last applied under George W. Bush, before Barack Obama rescinded it in 2009. Dubbed the “global gag rule” by critics, the policy not only restricts foreign U.S. aid recipients from providing abortions, but also prohibits their staff from educating clients about abortion as a reproductive health option or publicly advocating for or against the medical operation.

Under past administrations, the policy has only impacted U.S. family planning funds abroad, which totals about $575 million, according to PAI. But under Trump’s version of the rule the revision extends the gag rule to also affect NGOs that primarily combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, Zika, cancer, tuberculosis, and other dangerous or life-threatening diseases that attack both genders and all ages.

It could influence the distribution of up to $9.5 billion if groups don't agree to change their abortion stance in return for U.S. aid, experts say.

Read the rest at NBC News

Related: Donald Trump Is the Most Unlikely Anti-Abortion President Ever (Newsweek)

Related: A Massive New Study Shows How to Reduce Abortions — and It's Not More Regulation (Upworthy)

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