Ideological Divide Over Abortion Again Affects US Foreign Aid

[TomSea]

Ideological Divide Over Abortion Again Affects US Foreign Aid


Sweden's Vice Premier Isabella Lovin speaks during a media conference, titled "She Decides," at the Egmont Palace in Brussels, March 2, 2017. Nations pledged tens of millions of dollars at an international family planning conference in Brussels aimed at making up for the gap left by President Donald Trump's ban on U.S. funding to groups linked to abortion.

WASHINGTON —

Among the first executive actions at the White House this year, President Donald Trump reinstated a law that bans any U.S. aid to international organizations that support the practice of abortion.

Trump's memorandum on the "Mexico City policy" reversed one aspect of U.S. foreign aid policy that had been in effect under former President Barack Obama. It changed the way U.S. financial assistance is distributed internationally, and most likely will affect the lives of many women in developing countries.

The "Mexico City policy” dates to 1984, when then-President Ronald Reagan declared it at a population conference in the Mexican capital. Opponents call the U.S. prohibition on aid to groups that perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning a “global gag rule.”

Continued: http://www.voanews.com/a/us-cut-in-foreign-aid-for-abortion-advice-could-hit-hard/3850371.html