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News > U.S.

Global Gag Rule Depriving of Healthcare, Killing Women: IWHC

  • Initially started in 1984, the gag rule policy holds US$9 billion in foreign aid at bay has been imposed by Republican presidents like Trump.

    Initially started in 1984, the gag rule policy holds US$9 billion in foreign aid at bay has been imposed by Republican presidents like Trump. | Photo: Reuters

Published 5 June 2019
Opinion

The policy has led to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and preventable deaths, IWHC President Francoise Girard said.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s “global gag rule” is depriving "women of essential healthcare" and “ultimately killing” women around the world, the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) said in a report Wednesday.

RELATED: 
Women Rights Groups Decry Expansion of US 'Global Gag Rule' on Abortion

In a statement, IWHC President Francoise Girard said “this deadly policy violates the rights of patients and ties the hands of providers. After two years of implementation, the impact is clear: The Global Gag Rule reduces access to contraceptives and abortion care, leading to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and preventable deaths."

In 2017, Trump reimposed a Reagan-era policy, known as the “Mexico City Policy” which prohibits international organizations from providing or offering information on abortions at the risk of losing their U.S. funding.

Initially started in 1984, the gag rule policy, which holds US$9 billion in foreign aid at bay, has been imposed by Republican presidents like Trump and revoked by Democratic presidents.

The policy has led to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and preventable deaths, Girard said. However, dozens of clinics and outreach programs which provide a variety of healthcare services for thousands of orphans, HIV and AIDS patients were also forced to close.

Previous studies estimated up to 26 million women and families would lose access to contraceptive services under the policy.

"Since we provide counseling, sometimes people try to talk about abortion with us. In such cases, we tell our staff to tell them that they don't know anything about it," the IWHC report said.

Two women have died in Kenya from unsafe abortions after a group that helps sex workers stopped providing abortion information and referrals, according to a report by the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC). One had tried to induce an abortion with a knitting needle, it read.

“This deadly policy violates the rights of patients and ties the hands of providers,” the expert added in a statement.

The research, which looked at the policy’s impact in Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria and South Africa, was released at Women Deliver, a global conference on gender equality held every three years.

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