To Protect Life, State Department Rolls Out Womens Health Policy Critics Call a Death Warrant

[riversedge]

To ‘Protect Life’, State Department Rolls Out Women’s Health Policy Critics Call a ‘Death Warrant’

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/05/16/to-protect-life-state-department-rolls-out-womens-health-policy-critics-call-a-death-warrant-abortion-global-gag-mexico-city-policy/


By Ruby Mellen, Robbie Gramer
May 16, 2017 - 4:07 pm


The State Department on Monday rolled out plans to drastically expand a Reagan-era ban on federal funding for international groups that perform or advocate for abortions. The controversial ban won praise from pro-life groups who say it aligns U.S. foreign aid funding with conservative policies, but drew condemnation from many in the NGO community, who called it a “death warrant” for some women in developing countries.

While similar guidelines have been instituted under every Republican president since Ronald Reagan, under the Trump administration, the policy’s scope is much more sweeping. The “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance” policy places new restrictions not just on funds that go to family planning assistance, but also money that supports malaria eradication, maternal and child health, and AIDS prevention and treatment, amounting to a total of $8.8 billion.
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But other aid experts disagree. The rollout is devastating to women’s health and rights activists who focus on access to contraception and medical care, some experts charge. While hardly unexpected, the more expansive scope of the Trump administration’s Mexico City Policy has dismayed NGOs who stand to lose a significant chunk of their funding — which they say will have a devastating impact.

“This is a death warrant,” said Lisa Shannon, the president of Every Woman Everywhere, a human rights coalition committed to ending violence against women. “I just find it amazing they’re calling it protecting life, because this policy backs women so far into a corner the only choice that’s left is to die,” Shannon added..............................

[Turbineguy]

1. The republicans want everybody

to hate the US.