Well, he didn’t do it as his first act, but Barack Obama has repealed the Mexico City Policy, also known as the Global Gag Rule. This is wonderful news for reproductive justice, and will mean that organizations “promoting or providing” abortion services can again receive USAID funding.
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What organizations are those? What are the consequences for China?
Hi Arnold,
That is a great question. I am referring to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work in reproductive health and rights. Any organization that provided abortion services or information about abortion was ineligible to receive USAID funding. USAID is the international development branch of the United States’ budgeted money for foreign assistance. When the Mexico City Policy went into effect some organizations chose to discontinue critical services related to abortion, and some chose to forgo USAID funds. Others were unable to apply for the grants because of the work they do.
Unfortunately, I don’t know a lot about China or the organizations that work there. I understand that the context for reproductive rights there is very different than most other countries because of the one-child policy. In fact, I think there is a higher level of polarization around abortion in the U.S. than just about anywhere else.