Strong abortion limits placed on $9B in foreign aid

President Donald Trump’s executive order to block U.S. aid to groups abroad that counsel or provide referrals about abortion went into effect Monday and will restrict nearly $9 billion in foreign health assistance.

The rule is significantly broader than similar bans in place intermittently since 1984. Those past actions were limited to about $600 million in family planning funding.

Senior administration officials confirmed Monday that Trump’s version will impact $8.8 billion for programs related to AIDS, malaria and child health. About $6 billion of that supports programs for HIV/AIDS services, primarily in Africa, as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief established in 2003. Another program that could be hit hard is the President’s Malaria Initiative, started under George W. Bush and expanded under Barack Obama.

Defense Department grants related to global health security also will be impacted.

The new policy, which is being called “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance,” affects any organization deemed to promote abortion “as a method of family planning” through abortion counseling, referrals, lobbying or public information campaigns. Trump has said taxpayer dollars should not be used for this purpose.

Women’s rights and family planning groups that oppose the ban have said the result could be catastrophic, resulting in the closure of critical health-care centers around the world. Some healthcare providers have expressed concern that without referrals for care, more women could seek dangerous abortions.

Women’s health experts also cite a 2011 study by Stanford researchers that shows similar policies may be linked to an increase in abortion rates in sub-Saharan African countries — the exact opposite of the outcome Trump and anti-abortion advocates of the rule are seeking.

Organizations will have to agree to the new rule whenever they receive a new grant or take any extra money for an existing contract, or they will lose the funding. The funding could be transferred to other global health programs.

The administration policy does not prohibit referrals for terminating a pregnancy caused by rape or incest or for one that endangers the woman’s life.