Mexico City policy

The Mexico City policy, sometimes referred to by its critics as the global gag rule,[1] is a former United States government policy that blocked U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provided abortion counseling or referrals, advocated to decriminalize abortion, or expanded abortion services. When in effect, the Mexico City policy is a U.S. government policy that requires foreign non-governmental organizations to certify that they will not "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning" with non-U.S. funds as a condition for receiving U.S. global family planning assistance, and during its January 23, 2017 implementation any other U.S. global health assistance, including U.S. global HIV (under PEPFAR) and maternal and child health (MCH) assistance.

The Mexico City policy was first implemented on January 20, 1985, by the second Reagan administration. Since that time, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has enforced the policy during all subsequent Republican administrations and has rescinded the policy at the direction of all Democratic administrations.[2] After its initial implementation by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1985,[3] the policy was rescinded in 1993 by Democratic President Bill Clinton,[4] reinstated in 2001 by Republican President George W. Bush,[5] rescinded in 2009 by Democratic President Barack Obama,[6][7] reinstated in 2017 by Republican President Donald Trump,[8][9][10] and rescinded in 2021 by Democratic President Joe Biden.[11]

Research shows that by reducing funding for family planning organizations that use abortion as one of many methods of family planning, the Mexico City policy has had the impact of increasing unintended pregnancies and abortions.[12][13][14] By reducing access to modern contraception and information about family planning and sexual transmitted disease, the policy has been linked to higher maternal and infant mortality rates, as well as higher incidence rates of HIV.[15]

  1. ^ Rodgers, Yana van der Meulen (2019). The Global Gag Rule and Women's Reproductive Health: Rhetoric Versus Reality. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190876128.
  2. ^ Lee, Michelle Ye Hee. "Does Trump's Mexico City policy ban funds to groups that 'even mention' abortion?" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  3. ^ "What is the Mexico City Policy?". Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  4. ^ Clinton, William J. (January 22, 1993). "AID Family Planning Grants/Mexico City Policy". Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  5. ^ "Restoration of the Mexico City Policy – Memorandum for the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development". Federal Register. 28 March 2001.
  6. ^ "Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning – Memorandum for the Secretary of State [and] the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development". Federal Register. 23 January 2009.
  7. ^ Obama, Barack (January 23, 2009). "Statement of President Barack Obama on Rescinding the Mexico City Policy". Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  8. ^ "The Mexico City Policy – Memorandum for the Secretary of State[,] the Secretary of Health and Human Services[, and] the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development". Federal Register. 25 January 2017.
  9. ^ Jeremy Diamond; Dana Bash. "TPP withdrawal Trump's first executive action Monday, sources say". CNN. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  10. ^ Sengupta, Somini (2017-01-23). "Trump Revives Ban on Foreign Aid to Groups That Give Abortion Counseling". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  11. ^ Lucey, Catherine; Peterson, Kristina (January 28, 2021). "Biden Targets Abortion Restrictions as Fight Looms in Congress". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  12. ^ Miller, Grant; Bendavid, Eran; Brooks, Nina (2019-06-27). "USA aid policy and induced abortion in sub-Saharan Africa: an analysis of the Mexico City Policy". The Lancet Global Health. 7 (8): e1046–e1053. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30267-0. ISSN 2214-109X. PMID 31257094.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference bulletininduced was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference ghanaoutcomes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Kavakli, Kerim Can; Rotondi, Valentina (2022). "US foreign aid restrictions and maternal and children's health: Evidence from the 'Mexico City Policy'". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119 (19): e2123177119. Bibcode:2022PNAS..11923177K. doi:10.1073/pnas.2123177119. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 9171610. PMID 35500117. S2CID 248504466.