Miscarriage of rights
by Payel Majumdar
Feb 3, 2017
Donald Trump’s cutback on abortion care funding exposes the many pre-existing faultlines in India’s own laws on reproductive healthcare
On his first day in office, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order repealing federal aid to NGOs that either performed or facilitated abortions in any form around the world. After eight years of progressive reproductive legislation reforms under the Barack Obama administration, this new order hits the developing world hard. Ronald Reagan had first put in place the controversial ‘Mexico City policy’ in 1984 and it was only in 2009 that Obama rescinded it. While there was no direct funding for abortions even during the Obama years, it did take care of access to contraceptives and post-abortive care. Trump’s decision effectively cuts off reproductive healthcare services to developing countries, including India and its neighbours, which receive a good part of the aid. The Netherlands has stepped in and promised $10 million to fill the federal funding hole, but this still leaves a shortage of $600 million for the next four years.
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Source, The Hindu Business Line: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/know/miscarriage-of-rights/article9517509.ece