President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday reinstating and significantly expanding the “Mexico City Policy.”
The policy cuts off U.S. aid to any foreign organization that provides abortion services, counseling, or advocacy, marking the most extensive version of these restrictions since its creation in 1984.
Newsweek contacted a Trump spokesperson via email on Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
The expansion transforms a $600 million family planning policy into a sweeping $12 billion restriction affecting global health assistance across multiple sectors.
Organizations now face an unprecedented choice—either cease all abortion-related services, including counseling and advocacy, or lose crucial U.S. health assistance funding. This affects not just reproductive health services, but also critical programs for HIV/AIDS treatment, malaria prevention, maternal health, and childhood disease prevention.
The impact extends beyond direct health care provision. Organizations must now certify they will not use funding from any source—including non-U.S. donors—for abortion-related services if they wish to …