Trump Administration Reinstates Policy to Restrict Abortion Worldwide
Global Gag Rule reinstatement will impact $12 billion in health assistance
1.24.2025 (PRESS RELEASE) – Today, as part of President Donald Trump’s first week in office, he reinstated the “Global Gag Rule”—a sweeping policy that will decrease abortion access in countries around the world. This far-reaching policy defunds health organizations in other countries that provide abortion services or information, even for victims of sexual assault. Many of these critical organizations will likely shutter as a result or be forced to stop providing or even talking about abortion services.
Further, the State Department just announced its immediate intention to rejoin the so-called “Geneva Consensus Declaration” an anti-reproductive rights and anti-LGBTQ political statement originally championed by the previous Trump administration. The Geneva Consensus intentionally misrepresents itself as an official international agreement and attempts to undermine the broad legal basis for reproductive rights as human rights.
“The reinstatement of President Trump’s Global Gag Rule and rejoining of the Geneva Consensus are direct assaults on the health and human rights of millions of people around the world,” said Rachana Desai Martin, Chief Government & External Relations Officer at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “We saw the devastating impact of the GGR during the last Trump administration when contraception and vital reproductive services were cut off. There was a spike in pregnancy-related deaths, reproductive coercion, and gender inequality worldwide. Many clinics and health programs shuttered, leaving vulnerable populations with nowhere to get birth control, pregnancy care and other vital health services. The Center for Reproductive Rights will continue to fight back against this discriminatory policy and the misrepresentation of international law and the harms it causes families and communities around the world.”
In response to President Trump reinstating the Global Gag Rule, the Center for Reproductive Rights is relaunching its Global Gag Rule Pro Bono Clearinghouse, which was first established during the last Trump administration. This team is comprised of global law firms with relevant expertise to provide pro bono counsel to NGOs affected by the Global Gag Rule.
Since its introduction in 1984, the Global Gag Rule has disrupted vital health services by cutting off funding for organizations that provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, including contraception, maternal care, menstrual hygiene programs, HIV prevention and treatment, as well as treatment for tuberculosis, malaria, Zika, Ebola and other infectious diseases. The Global Gag Rule has also caused a chilling effect, discouraging organizations from providing accurate medical information or advocating for the liberalization of restrictive abortion laws. Even after previous administrations lifted the policy, its lingering consequences—fear of future reinstatement and the disruption of services—have created lasting uncertainty and delay in resuming vital health programs.
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