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Summary: With Donald Trump being re-elected as the next president of the United States, millions of women and girls worldwide are waking up to a world where access to safe abortion care could become an even greater challenge, again.
With Donald Trump re-elected as U.S. president, millions of women and girls worldwide are waking up to a reality where access to safe abortion care and information could once again be out of reach due to restrictive policies. Every year, an estimated 25 million unsafe abortions take place, and tens of thousands of women die simply because they lack access to the safe care they need.
These statistics are not just numbers; they represent real women and girls who are compelled to make decisions under unimaginably difficult circumstances. In countries where abortion is severely restricted, women are often forced to resort to dangerous methods to end an unintended pregnancy. With his reelection, Donald Trump is expected to reinstate anti-abortion policies, such as the Global Gag Rule, that will jeopardise the health of women across the world even further.
History repeating: the Global Gag Rule as a recurrent threat
This has happened before. When Trump won the elections in November 2016, he reinstated the Global Gag Rule (officially called the Mexico City Policy), which prevented nongovernmental organisations receiving U.S. international funding from providing information on, or care for safe abortion or advocating for access to safe abortion. The reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule did not come as a surprise, as this was done by Republican presidents in the past. However, Trump’s version of the Global Gag Rule was the most far-reaching yet as it applied to all U.S. global health assistance. This made its impact ever more devastating for women and girls worldwide.
“If reinstated again, the devastating effects of the Global Gag Rule will continue to keep thousands of women and girls in a system of oppression, depriving them of their right to health, bodily autonomy and social justice”
Research from the Guttmacher Institute shows that the Global Gag Rule under the previous Trump administration had a devastating effect on women and girls, severely harming those seeking health care and impacting health care providers around the world.
Director Nelly Munyasia of the Reproductive Health Network in Kenya (RHNK) explains how women and girls in Kenya were affected by the Global Gag Rule when it was reinstated under Trump in 2017:
“We saw young women turning to quacks, who tried to terminate their unintended pregnancy with needles, cassava sticks or detergent potions. This was because these women no longer received information on reproductive health. There was also an increase in myths and misconceptions that is also attributed to social taboo around abortion and sexuality education and because of the increase in violence.”
In Kenya, the ripple effects of the Global Gag Rule are still visible, even when it was rescinded by the Biden Administration in 2021, Nelly Munyasia adds: “We have seen a drastic increase in teen pregnancies, HIV-infections and maternal mortalities and morbidities. This was because organisations who did not want to comply with the Global Gag Rule, no longer received U.S. global health funds. In the case of RHNK this unavailability of funding meant that we were not able to conduct integrated outreach where we provide family planning services, HIV screening and care, antenatal care and safe delivery services including safe and legal abortion services.”
Kadidiatou SOW, Director of the ODAS Center also expressed her concern: “This result is a very dark page in the history of the pro-choice and feminist movement, an important turning point for the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls in Francophone Africa. If reinstated again, the devastating effects of the Global Gag Rule will continue to keep thousands of women and girls in a system of oppression, depriving them of their right to health, bodily autonomy and social justice.
However, Trump’s re-election calls on us more than ever to show solidarity, synergy, resilience and innovation to push back the barriers of reproductive injustice. We will continue to raise our voices so that women and girls in Francophone Africa can claim their basic rights. Now, more than ever, is the time for strong local leadership and accelerate a strong and bold popular movement for safe abortion care. Together we can beat the odds.”
A blueprint for eroding sexual and reproductive health and rights
The reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule is part of a larger strategy called Project 2025 developed by ultraconservatives as their proposal for a new Republican administration. If this Project 2025 would be implemented, it would further jeopardise the rights of women and girls and their access to safe abortion in the U.S and worldwide. Project 2025 is a 920-page document outlining specific policy recommendations, aimed at reshaping the U.S. government by replacing officials with far-right policymakers, cutting diversity programmes, and altering U.S. foreign policy. It includes plans to withdraw from the UN system and defund UN agencies like WHO and UNFPA, promote anti-abortion policies at global and bilateral levels, and expand the Global Gag Rule to apply to all U.S. development assistance, including humanitarian funding.
“Rutgers is committed to advocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. Alongside our partners, we will continue to promote the values and rights that uphold the health, safety and wellbeing of women and girls.”
Diplomatic engagement needed
Rutgers and its partners call upon governments and foundations to continue to invest in sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. “We hope that the U.S. will not introduce measures to further restrict the access of women to safe abortion care worldwide. Denying people a safe choice is unacceptable, as it leads to life-threatening situations and unnecessary suffering. We call on countries committed to safeguard the health, safety, wellbeing and rights of women to leverage their influence within international institutions to ensure that women and girls everywhere continue to have access to safe abortion care,” says Marieke van der Plas, executive director Rutgers.
“We encourage everyone to join us in speaking up to safeguard abortion rights and access worldwide. If implemented, Project 2025 and the Global Gag Rule are not only words on paper, but they will affect the lives of real people for years to come. Let’s collaborate in alliances, bringing voices and experiences of communities and health care providers to the forefront and show solidarity to create a world where everyone can access the sexual and reproductive health care and services, they need without being afraid, stigmatised or criminalised,” Marieke van der Plas adds.
Q&A
Questions and answers on the 2024 U.S. election
Terms like the ‘Global Gag Rule’ or ‘Project 2025’ are everywhere, but what do they actually mean? Read our Q&A to find out.
