Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • News
  • Politics
  • Coronavirus Updates
  • Faith
  • Opinion
  • Christmas
  • Set Free Course

One of Trump’s First Official Acts as President Cracked Down on Abortion — Here are the Details

"Instill policies that promote life."
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

January 23, 2017

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that reinstates Ronald Reagan’s Mexico City policy — a ban on federal funding or aid to international nonprofits that either provide or promote abortion by offering patients information about the procedure.

Reagan established the policy — which was given its name based on the location of a conference where he unveiled it in 1984 — and it’s been the subject of debate for years, going in or out of effect based on whether a Democrat or Republican is in office. Obama rescinded it in 2009, with Trump once again reversing course, as the Hill reported.

And previously, George W. Bush put it in place after Bill Clinton axed it. Consider what Bush had to say when he reinstated the policy after his first election: “It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either here or abroad. It is therefore my belief that the Mexico City Policy should be restored.”

Considering the pattern thus far, it wasn’t too shocking that Trump made the move, though some Democrats — who sometimes refer to the Mexico City policy as the “global gag rule” — have decried the decision.

Even before the announcement, both sides were speaking out about their views on the matter. According to the International Planned Parenthood Federation, which will lose funding if it refuses to abide by the ban, the policy hampers efforts to help women abroad.

“When a woman or girl — and bearing in mind this could be somebody who suffered from gender-based violence or who has been married as a child underage — would go to see a health provider it would mean the provider could not talk to them about abortion, could not provide information, could not provide a referral to another provider [to perform an abortion],” Alison Marshall, the group’s director of advocacy, recently told NPR.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) has pledged to turn to the legislature in an effort to push back against the reinstitution of the policy, telling Foreign Policy she plans to do so as a challenge to Trump and the Republicans.

“I will continue to stand up to President Trump and Republican leadership in Congress who are intent on rolling back women’s access to reproductive healthcare, and will soon be introducing bipartisan legislation aimed to repeal the Global Gag Rule for good,” she said. “Women around the world deserve to make important personal health care decisions without politicians in Washington interfering.”

But Deirdre McQuade, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that the policy simply reinforces that “abortion is not family planning and should never be promoted as such.” McQuade told NPR that poor people are looking for food, medicine and clean water, not abortion.

Either way, Trump’s stance is clear, and it could lead to speculation about domestic policy-making. Consider that White House press secretary Sean Spicer pledged during a press conference on Monday that the nation’s new president is “going to stand up and value life, born or unborn” and “instill policies that promote life” —  comments that are sure to add to debate over Trump’s pro-life stance.

—

Other Must-Read Stories:

– Is Trump’s Faith Real? Paula White Details Decades of Conversations with America’s New President

– The Encouraging Statistic About Americans’ Bible Reading That Might Totally Surprise You

– There’s a Very Purposeful Reason Why This New TV Show is Airing During the ‘Graveyard Slot’

– Singer Ciara’s Powerful Message About Abstinence: Don’t ‘Feel Like You Have to Give Your Body Away’

– Ex-Planned Parenthood Staffer Reveals the Moment That Left Her Totally ‘Disgusted’

Latest

  • News

    Ex-Navy SEAL’s One-Word Response When Asked the Best Way to Prevent Horrific Mass Shootings

  • News

    Why the Toxic, Diabolical Responses to ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ After Mass Shootings Fuel More Evil

  • Faith

    ‘Harbingers of Things to Come’: Jonathan Cahn Film Explores Ancient Mysteries, Prophetic Warnings for US

  • News

    Lee Greenwood Joins Celebs, Politicians in Backing Out of NRA Convention, Citing Texas Horror: ‘I Cannot Be Canceled’

  • Media

    Viral Libs of TikTok Account Suspended From Instagram


Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?