ONE ritual has become familiar for a president’s first week in the Oval Office. It has long been illegal for federal money to be used to fund abortions anywhere. On January 23rd, four days into his presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans government aid to foreign non-governmental organisations that “actively promote” abortion, for example by telling a woman that abortion is a legally available option. Since 1984, when the policy first came about, it has been swiftly revoked by incoming Democratic presidents and reinstated by Republican ones.
Past experience suggests that this “global gag rule” will lead to more abortions, not fewer. A study by researchers at Stanford University found that after the policy came into effect in 2001, the abortion rate increased sharply in sub-Saharan African countries that had been receiving substantial amounts of aid for family-planning programmes. By contrast, the abortion rate remained stable in countries that were less dependent on such aid (see chart).
The study, as well as anecdotal accounts and research by NGOs, suggest that abortions rose because of cuts in...Continue reading
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