A Biden Promise About Overseas Abortion Funding Could Prove Difficult To Implement

December 3, 2020
Nurith Aizenman

Among the promises that President elect-Biden is expected to fulfill immediately upon taking office: lifting a ban that President Trump imposed on U.S. foreign aid dollars related to abortion.

Specifically, the ban prohibits foreign aid funding for privately-run overseas-based groups that "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning" for women. Among the activities that are barred: providing referrals for abortion or offering advice or medical information on the procedure. And this is prohibited even if the group funds their communications around abortions with non-U.S. sources.

Continued: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/12/03/933052858/a-biden-promise-about-overseas-abortion-funding-could-prove-difficult-to-impleme

USA – Study: U.S. Ban On Aid To Foreign Clinics That ‘Promote’ Abortion Upped Abortion Rate

Study: U.S. Ban On Aid To Foreign Clinics That 'Promote' Abortion Upped Abortion Rate

June 27, 2019
Nurith Aizenman

When it comes to sending U.S. aid to poor countries, every Republican president from Ronald Reagan through Donald Trump has imposed a rule: Foreign aid groups are prohibited from getting U.S. assistance for family planning unless they promise not to "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning." That includes providing patients with referrals or information about the procedure, even if those activities are funded by non-U.S. government sources. (Trump's version of the funding ban has gone even further — applying to aid for virtually all global health services, not just family planning.)

Continued: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/06/27/736574110/study-u-s-ban-on-aid-to-foreign-clinics-that-promote-abortion-upped-abortion-rat

Melania Trump’s sunny message in Africa at odds with US policy

Melania Trump's sunny message in Africa at odds with US policy

By David McKenzie and Brent Swails, CNN
October 3, 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN)First lady Melania Trump's solo swing through Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt should come as no surprise.
It has become something of a tradition for US first ladies.

In the 1990s, Hillary Clinton met with Nelson Mandela and toured his jail cell on Robben Island. Laura Bush traveled to Africa to visit HIV/AIDS programs. Michelle Obama, who focused more on domestic issues, still made it out to South Africa and Botswana on a solo tour.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/03/africa/flotus-africa-trip-intl/index.html

Trump abortion ‘gag rule’ hurts AIDS fight, advocates say

Trump abortion 'gag rule' hurts AIDS fight, advocates say
The ban on abortion funding hurts clinics that provide a broad range of health services, experts said at the International AIDS Conference.

by Maggie Fox
Jul.27.2018

The Trump administration’s rollout of the so-called global gag rule, which keeps foreign aid from going to groups that provide abortion services, is already damaging efforts to battle the AIDS epidemic, advocates and researchers said Friday.

The new policy is also leading to closures of clinics that provide broad health services, including AIDS drugs, they said at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. And it could undo years of efforts to build up health systems in developing countries.

Continued: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-abortion-gag-rule-hurts-aids-fight-advocates-say-n895316

Trump’s Ban On Funding For Overseas Abortions Has Some Little-Known Exceptions

Trump's Ban On Funding For Overseas Abortions Has Some Little-Known Exceptions

June 13, 2018
Nurith Aizenman

It was one of Donald Trump's first acts as President: a Jan. 23, 2017 executive order that cuts off U.S. support to foreign groups unless they promise not to "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning." This includes providing patients with referrals or information about the procedure, even if those activities are funded by non-U.S. government sources.

Every Republican president since Ronald Reagan has adopted a variant of the "Mexico City policy" — so called after the city where it was first announced. And every Democratic successor has reversed it.

Continued: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/13/616906884/trumps-ban-on-funding-for-overseas-abortions-has-some-little-known-exceptions

The Ripple Effect Of Cuts To U.S. Funds For Overseas Abortion Services

The Ripple Effect Of Cuts To U.S. Funds For Overseas Abortion Services

May 19, 2017
Rina Shaikh-Lesko

The newly-released details of the Trump administration's version of the "Mexico City policy" are raising many questions about its impact not only on abortion but also on preventing HIV and infectious diseases like malaria.

The policy is named for the place where it was introduced by President Ronald Reagan, at a U.N. conference, in 1984. The aim was to cut off U.S. funding to nongovernmental organizations that "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning."

Continued at source: NPR: http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/05/19/528778797/the-ripple-effect-of-cuts-to-u-s-funds-for-overseas-abortion-services

U.S.: Will Trump Reinstate Reagan’s Abortion Rule For International Charities?

December 6, 20168:41 AM ET
by Nurith Aizenman, NPR

It's a policy battle that has been playing out over three decades.

In 1984, then-President Ronald Reagan imposed an anti-abortion rule — known as the "Mexico City policy" after the city where he announced it. The rule blocked federal funding for international family planning charities unless they agreed not to "promote" abortion by, among other actions, providing patients with information about the procedure or referrals to providers who perform it.

[continued at link]
Source: NPR

06.12.2016