The Intercept: In Uganda, Groups Offering Contraception and Family Planning Have Lost Millions in U.S. Aid Thanks to Trump’s Global Gag Rule
“…President Donald Trump’s iteration of the GGR [global gag rule, also called the ‘Mexico City policy’], announced in the early days of his presidency, goes farther than those of his Republican predecessors, because it applies to all global health assistance, not just funds pegged specifically to reproductive health and family planning. … In much of sub-Saharan Africa, the best health services are provided by charity organizations or the United Nations, which makes their populations extremely susceptible to massive funding cuts that can come when a foreign government changes its priorities. The GGR is a prime example. Asasira [program manager of research documentation and advocacy at CEHURD] felt that the Ugandan government’s reliance on nonprofit organizations to fill its massive gaps in public services needed to be remedied. ‘The global gag rule happened, fine, it happened. But is the Ugandan government doing enough to provide health care for its citizens, in particular family planning?’ she asked. ‘Our government can’t say President Trump ruined everything — “Look, see the global gag rule happened and we can’t provide contraceptives.” We are trying to shake up our government and say there is social contract’…” (Kasinof, 5/26).