The Damage from Trump’s Global Gag Rule Will Be Greater in this Era of Abortion Rights

The Damage from Trump’s Global Gag Rule Will Be Greater in this Era of Abortion Rights
By Patty Skuster
May 5, 2017

Women in Malawi are dying in silence from unsafe abortions, says Darlington Hararwa of Malawi. As the founding director of Passion for Women in Children, Hararwa is an outspoken champion of reforming Malawi’s restrictive abortion law. But his advocacy work is about to get more difficult.

President Donald Trump reinstated the global gag rule in the first days of his presidency and expanded the restriction to all recipients of U.S. global health funds. Under the global gag rule, recipients of U.S. funds cannot provide abortion services, information, or referrals and are not allowed to advocate for abortion law reform. The impact of Trump’s uniquely restrictive global gag rule on women’s health and rights will be greater than the gag rule in the past. Since President Barack Obama reversed the global gag rule at the beginning of his presidency, health workers, advocates, and governments have made significant progress toward a future where all women can realize the right to safe abortions. The reinstatement of the global gag rule will stall this progress.

Continued at source: Georgetown Journal: http://journal.georgetown.edu/the-damage-from-trumps-global-gag-rule-will-be-greater-in-this-era-of-abortion-rights/