It’s been mere days since Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, and the divisive demagogue has wasted no time implementing his controversial policies.
Just a couple of days after millions of people gathered to protest for women’s rights and against the newly inaugurated president, his administration has already moved to restrict access to abortion around the world. On Monday, Trump reinstated a global gag rule that forbids US-funded organizations working abroad from discussing abortion.
The restriction, formally known as the Mexico City policy, was originally created in 1984 by Ronald Regan, but was lifted by the Obama administration back in 2009. The revived gag order will have a negative impact on groups the receive funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, even if they use separate funds for abortion services, counseling, and referrals.
"Women's health and rights are now one of the first casualties of the Trump administration. The global gag rule has been associated with an increase in unsafe abortions and we expect that Trump's global gag rule will cost women their lives," said Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity in Washington.
The controversial and untimely decision by the Trump administration seems to play right into the apathetic hands of partisan politics. Since its inception in 1984, the gag rule has repeatedly been reinstated and lifted depending on which political party is in power. The policy will force women’s health care organizations to either comply with the restriction or lose funding.
Trump’s attack on reproductive rights wasn’t the only controversial action of the day. The Republican president is also expected to give the green light for the highly controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. This decision will likely spark the Standing Rock protestors back to action after they successfully halted construction back in December.
Needless to say, despite Trump’s promise to give the power back to the people, the business man-turned-president instead seems more interested in pushing the right wing agenda and lining the pockets of his corporate cronies. But as millions showed this past weekend, Trump and his administration won’t be able to strip away reproductive rights and decimate environmental protection without a fight.
