The Global Gag Rule’s Harm Has Persisted for 40 Years

rePROs Fight Back

The Global Gag Rule (GGR) prevents foreign non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. foreign assistance funds from providing, advocating for, counseling on, or referring for abortion services—and has successfully done so for 40 years. Beirne Roose-Snyder, Senior Director at the Preclusion Project, and Bergen Cooper, Senior Research Advisor at the Preclusion Project and Chief Operating Officer with the Torchlight Collective, sit down to talk with us about the history of this destructive policy, its long and heart-wrenching impacts, and what the future of the GGR might look like.

The GGR, introduced in 1984 by President Ronald Raegan, is a presidential memorandum that is either reinstated or revoked depending on which political party is in the Oval Office. In 2017, the rule was expanded by the Trump administration to apply to all global heath assistance funding. The GGR has, and continues to, affect LGBTQI populations, people living in rural areas, people living with disabilities, sex workers, and healthcare providers, when accessing or providing abortion, contraception, gender-based violence care, HIV /AIDS care, STI care, and more. With the possibility of a change in administration coming soon, the GGR under Project 2025 may extend its reach farther and worsen outcomes.

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