Subject
The impact of the 'gag rule'.
Significance
US President Donald Trump on January 23 re-instated the 1984 Mexico City Policy, which prevents US family planning funding from going to foreign organisations that give information about abortion, and expanded it to include all US funding assistance. Known as the ‘global gag rule’, the policy is likely to end up restricting funding for women's health services in general.
Impacts
The inadvertent effects of the gag rule-- eg, unsafe abortions -- could in principle be offset by higher funding for contraceptive services.
However, such an increase in funding is unlikely to occur.
This is set to reverse gains in maternal mortality globally.
