What is the U.S. Global Gag Rule?
The Global Gag Rule prohibits foreign nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) from receiving funding from the U.S. government if they provide, advocate for, or refer to abortion services. Even though U.S. money never funds abortion overseas, under the Global Gag Rule, organisations must sign to say they won’t participate in anything abortion-related, even with their own money.
Officially known as the ‘Mexico City Policy’ and renamed under Trump as the ‘Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy,’ the Global Gag Rule has been reinstated by every Republican President since it was first introduced by Ronald Reagan in 1984.
It’s known as a ‘gag rule’ because it has a silencing effect: it has created confusion, reinforced negative attitudes, suppressed healthcare information, and buried important conversations around women’s health. Some organisations were scared to refer women to safe abortion services, even in cases of rape, incest, or to save a woman’s life (the policy permits abortion under these circumstances), and some NGOs ceased their advocacy work in case it stripped them of their funding.
When was the Global Gag Rule implemented?
The Global Gag Rule was first implemented on January 22nd, 1984, under President Ronald Reagan at a conference in Mexico City. Since then, it’s been enforced by every Republican president and repealed by every Democratic one.
This constant cycle has caused real harm, as each reinstatement cuts critical funding and disrupts life-saving safe abortion services for women and girls worldwide. For decades, the rule has threatened reproductive rights, creating fear and confusion, especially in communities where access to essential healthcare is already fragile.
Why was the Global Gag Rule implemented?
The Global Gag Rule was implemented in an attempt to control women’s bodies and choices and limit access to essential reproductive healthcare. Despite overwhelming evidence that restricting abortion doesn’t stop them from taking place – it only makes it unsafe – his policy was designed to block funding to organisations that offer a full range of reproductive healthcare.
The Global Gag Rule is a reminder that the fight for reproductive freedom is far from over and that policies like these disproportionately harm women, particularly those in marginalised and underserved communities.
How the Global Gag Rule Harms Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights
The Global Gag Rule has a dangerous impact on the fundamental rights and health of women, girls, and pregnant people, and it disproportionally affects those who are already systemically marginalized. The reinstatement of this harmful policy will continue to have a negative ripple effect across entire health systems, such as:
- THE U.S. GLOBAL GAG RULE: UNDERSTANDING ITS IMPACT Firstly, Women—especially poor women—will suffer. Pregnant people will suffer from disruptions in reproductive health services. The policy causes more unintended pregnancies, higher rates of maternal mortality, and an increase in unsafe abortions. Multiple studies have shown that the global gag rule has not decreased rates of abortions but instead has increased the number of unsafe abortions.
- Nearly 50 per cent of global HIV and AIDS funding comes from the U.S. government. Under President Trump’s expanded Global Gag Rule, the quality and availability of HIV services, including treatment, testing, and prevention, are already suffering dramatically—more than in previous iterations of the rule. The policy under Trump is undoing decades of work to integrate sexual and reproductive health services with HIV services. Vulnerable populations, and men who have sex with men in particular, are experiencing significant health service disruptions as a result of the Global Gag Rule.
- Marginalized groups such as LGBTI communities and sex workers will lose access to critical HIV and AIDS services, as well as other crucial health services. When organizations reject U.S. funds, they often have to reduce the scale of their programs—years of work to earn the trust of marginalized communities are also lost when clinics close and there are often no other existing programs to replace the services.
- NGOs who are already suffering from significant funding shortages due to their decision to continue to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care will struggle even more to help those in need.
- Important coalitions, networks, and movements that advocate for human rights such as abortion reform and sex worker rights will lose momentum due to the chilling effect the global gag rule has on advocacy and collaboration between groups that are gagged and those that are not.
- Additionally, fuelling a reluctance by health care providers to provide critical care following unsafe abortions, which are the third leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide according to the World Health Organization.t
- Decreasing the provision and use of contraception among women. Organizations that offered family planning resources saw their funding reduced, leading to fewer options for women to make informed choices about their reproductive health.
Conclusion
Women With a Mission’s fight for reproductive justice will not be threatened as a result of the domestic whims of the US government. Now, more than ever, we will stand with our Member Associations, partners and allies to ensure that every individual can live and love freely, without barriers or repression.
Governments at all levels must increase funding for sexual and reproductive health, including for abortion, to ensure that every individual has access to the lifesaving care they need, and to reduce the impact of the Global Gag Rule on communities. We also encourage governments and leaders at all levels to support grassroots advocacy and ensure that the voices of those most affected by this policy – especially young people, marginalized women and girls, the hard-to-reach, and key populations are not silenced.
Finally, the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule under the Trump administration significantly hindered women’s sexual and reproductive health rights globally, leading to detrimental health outcomes and exacerbating existing inequalities. The long-term effects of this policy continue to be a topic of discussion and advocacy in the field of global health. We must stand together to resist this attack and fight for reproductive freedom for all