Opinion piece

Women abroad are being robbed of their fundamental rights. This is due to a U.S Policy that is

called the Global Gag Rule. Women are being objectified by this policy and now by the topic of

abortion. 881,000 abortions were done in the U.S just in the year 2017. There are hundreds of

thousands of abortions happening yearly in the U.S. So, you must be asking why is it any

different for countries abroad? Well, countries abroad that receive any category of U.S foreign

assistance are not allowed to perform or even speak about abortions. Even if they use their

non-U. S funds to perform an abortion. Due to the fact that clinics are forbidden to talk about

abortion many have closed down and lost funding for not only abortion but many other

important healthcare including HIV and malaria protection and medication. The Global Gag Rule

Policy has been enacted and rescinded depending on what party is in office. Since we have a

republican party in office right now the policy is enacted. How is it fair that in the U.S abortion

is legal but in clinics abroad using U.S funding abortion is not legal. To make matters worse

Trump has set back so much development with his version of the GGR more than 40 countries

have liberalized their abortion laws and have invested into the well-being of women and girls.

Due to the fact that this policy forbids abortion in U.S funded clinics which is the majority of

clinics available, women are forced to take matters into their own hands. The rate of unsafe

abortions has increased, and many women are dying because of unsafe abortions. You must be

wondering what we can do to end this terrible policy. We can start with the Global HER Act. The

Global HER Act is an act that is working towards the end of the Global Gag Rule policy. The HER

Act would ensure that U.S. foreign aid promotes healthcare that is free from stigma, and
discrimination, prioritizes women’s health, and is consistent with the fundamental principals of

the United States, including the right to free speech. Everyone deserves proper healthcare free

of stigma.