Affiliate Grant Miller on the effects of restricting U.S. Aid To overseas clinics that ‘promote’ abortion | NPR

When it comes to sending U.S. aid to poor countries, every Republican president from Ronald Reagan through Donald Trump has imposed a rule: Foreign aid groups are prohibited from getting U.S. assistance for family planning unless they promise not to “perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.” That includes providing patients with referrals or information about the procedure, even if those activities are funded by non-U.S. government sources. (Trump’s version of the funding ban has gone even further — applying to aid for virtually all global health services, not just family planning.)

Opponents of abortion rights have long advocated for the ban — known as the Mexico City policy after the city where it was first announced in 1984 — on the grounds that it ensures that U.S. taxpayer dollars are not used even indirectly to fund abortions overseas.

Read more: Study: Abortion Rates Go Up When U.S. Cuts Off Aid To Overseas Clinics That ‘Promote’ Abortion : Goats and Soda