The Mexico City Policy

I wasn't surprised to see that President Trump reinstated the global gag rule so quickly since the implementation of the policy has been like a game of hot potato with presidents either suspending or reinstating it for the last three decades.

Many women rely on the abortion related services that some foreign NGO's provide in order to live a healthy life both physically and mentally. Due to the loss of U.S. Family Planning Funding these NGO's will experience, abortion will become less safe and birth control will become less accessbile. If these next years are at all resemblant of the past in terms of the effects of rises in less safe abortions and inaccessible birth control methods, we will probably see a rise in the maternal mortality rate in places that rely on these NGO's for abortion services.

I don't think that a small group of men should be able to decide what millions of women, many of whom are not even American, can do with their bodies, or if they can have access to safe medical procedures that they need. The reinstation of the global gag rule was made with pro-life sentiment, however I find that hypocritical considering their decision gambles with the lives of thousands of women all over the world.

What do you guys think about the effects that this will have on women around the world? What do you think we can do to help support women who are affected by this?

I agree with you, Anna. The government does not have a right to decide what women can and cannot do with their bodies.

The global gag rule was a clear statement by President Trump. Here is a really great article by Vox. The article explains the impact of the ruling from the point of view of two people on the ground.

If he hasn't made it clear before, our president is not an advocate for women. I believe we need to make our voices loud. We need to stand up for Planned Parenthood and other organizations striving to improve the lives of women in the US and all around the world with our time and our wallets.

The issue here is that Trump and Pence made very clear from the beginning of the campaign that they were very pro-life. Most likely, this was one of the aspects that made them win the election, moreover if we take into account Clinton's views on this topic during the final Presidential debate.

The election showed that Americans preferred what they had to offer over Clinton's progressive perspective. For this reason, now is time to respect the will of the people, and understand that at this moment, the United States is a pro-life country.

I regards to the comments made about US public opinion and current policy; while I do understand the importance of the ideas reflected by the vote; this did not represent the majority of the citizens, as the popular vote remained in the hands of the democratic party. This debate is highly controversial; but I do believe we must take into account the fundamental right to body autonomy; applicable in any medical situation. Ultimately, as people, we hold the right to decide. Furthermore, we should take into account how the fact that this is a female-centric issue reflects on the restrictions placed by governments; and how they parralel existing power and priviledge dynamics. Many of the initiatives that plan to take down resources for women that may seek an abortion, are directly conditioning the posibility for any woman to decide, in an issue so central to her life and her body, what medical treatment she can or cannot receive.