'Global gag rule': stop playing politics with women's lives, MSF tells Trump

As affected groups worldwide take in news of Donald Trump’s renewal
of a policy that has dire implications for family planning, Médecins Sans
Frontières has aimed a broadside at the US president’s stance

Kate Hodal, Jonathan Watts, Michael Safi and Murithi Mutiga
Thursday 26 January 2017 19.15 GMT

Médecins Sans Frontières has told the Trump administration to stop “playing politics” with women’s rights and other global health efforts after the new US president reintroduced a policy likely to affect millions of women and girls around the world.

The “global gag rule”, which was reinstated by Donald Trump on Monday, withholds USAid funding from any overseas family planning organisation that offers or provides information about abortions.

The rule also affects civil society programmes, such as contraception provision, and campaigns for LGBT communities and teenage girls. Work to combat HIV and Aids, cervical cancer and Zika will likewise suffer.

MSF is not directly affected by the gag rule since it relies on donations rather than US government funds to provide its services. Nonetheless, the organisation pointed out that it treats women and girls with abortion-related complications daily.

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