Center for Global Development’s “Global Health Policy Blog/U.S. Development Policy”: Zombie Policy on International Family Planning Rises Again
Amanda Glassman, chief operating officer and senior fellow at CGD, discusses President Trump’s executive order reinstating the Mexico City policy, also known as the global gag rule, writing, “[I]f you want to reduce abortion, this is the wrong way to go. Not only is it empirically counterproductive on its intended policy goal, the gag rule demonstrably causes harm. … So if you want to reduce abortion around the world, here’s a better idea: help women in low-income countries gain access to voluntary, high-quality family planning” (1/23).

Rewire: Trump Reinstates Anti-Choice ‘Global Gag Rule’ Restriction
Ally Boguhn, political and campaigns editor at Rewire, discusses issues around reinstating the Mexico City policy, writing, “The global gag rule has had major global consequences for reproductive health care.” Boguhn includes comments from Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights (1/23).

U.N. Dispatch: This One Paragraph Shows How Harmful the Global Gag Rule is to Fighting HIV/AIDS and Preventing Abortion
Mark Leon Goldberg, managing editor of U.N. Dispatch, discusses the policy’s implications, writing, “Even if the dollars used [by NGOS to provide abortion services, counsel patients that abortion is a family planning option, or advocate for the legalization of abortion in their countries] do not come from the USA, the entire organization is nonetheless banned from receiving U.S. funding. The stated purpose is to restrict abortions even though laws on the books since the 1970s prohibit the U.S. from funding abortion services. The practical effect of this policy results in increased numbers of unwanted pregnancies, more abortions, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS…” (1/23).