Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Expands 'Mexico City' Policy To Include Groups That Don't Perform Abortions But Support Ones That Do
Reuters: U.S. Expands Abortion 'Gag Rule,' Cuts Funding To Regional Bloc: Pompeo
The Trump administration on Tuesday expanded its anti-abortion policies, cutting funding to the Organization of American States (OAS) and prohibiting the use of U.S. tax dollars to lobby for or against abortion rights. Trump in 2017 reinstated a policy known as the "Mexico City Policy," requiring foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive U.S. family planning funds to certify they do not provide abortions or give abortion advice. (3/26)
The New York Times: U.S. Expands Anti-Abortion Policies With New Overseas Funding Rules
“We will enforce a strict prohibition on backdoor funding schemes and end-runs around our policy,” Mr. Pompeo said. “American taxpayer dollars will not be used to underwrite abortions.” The move builds on a 2017 announcement by the Trump administration that it was reinstating and expanding the so-called Mexico City policy. The executive action dating to 1984 — and described by critics as the “global gag rule” — requires foreign nongovernmental organizations to refuse to perform abortions in exchange for receiving American funding. (Wong, 3/26)
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Expands Global Anti-Abortion Policy
The policy has been a political football for decades, with presidents of opposing parties reversing course at the start of their administrations, twice on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, the 1973 ruling that recognized abortion as a woman’s constitutional right. President Obama shelved the policy in 2009, though opting not to do so on the day chosen by some of his predecessors. President Trump reinstated the “Mexico City policy” shortly after taking office in January 2017, doing so the day after the ruling’s anniversary. (McBride, 3/26)
The Hill: Pompeo Says US To Expand Ban On Foreign Aid To Groups That Provide Or Promote Abortion
Democrats who opposed the original Mexico City Policy said its expansion will be even more dangerous for women around the world. “This administration’s obsession with attacking women’s reproductive health is egregious and dangerous," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the only woman on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (Hellmann, 3/26)
