On Monday, as an executive order President Trump signed in January prohibiting U.S. foreign aid for groups that discuss abortion went into effect, senior U.S. officials said the "gag order" will affect $8.8 billion in State Department programs, much more than the roughly $600 million in family planning funds covered by the so-called Mexico City Rule under the George W. Bush administration. Trump's order will block funding for any nongovernmental organization that doesn't pledge to not "promote abortion as a method of family planning" through abortion counseling or referrals, lobbying, or information campaigns, and its impact is expected to be felt hardest in Africa.
The bulk of the funds, $6 billion, are from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, established by Bush in 2003; other hard-hit programs are the anti-malaria initiative started by Bush and expanded by former President Barack Obama, and the United Nations Population Fund, which operates in more than 150 countries and says it doesn't promote abortion. Trump officials say that overall funding won't be cut, but women's health advocates and family planning groups said the expanded order will lead to crucial health centers closing around the world. "It's not like we have an influx of providers in places like West Africa," PAI advocacy director Jonathan Rucks tells The New York Times. "Whole communities could be cut off."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will divisions over trans issue derail Keir Starmer's government?Today's Big Question Rebellion is brewing following the Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equality law
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the SunIn The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's oppositionThe Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plungeSpeed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm marketsSpeed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eaterySpeed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reportsSpeed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group textSpeed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contemptSpeed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cutsSpeed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deporteeSpeed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
