President Donald Trump’s order blocking American healthcare funding to groups abroad which counsel or provide referrals, or even information about abortion has come into effect.
The rule has reproductive-rights advocates reeling and is significantly broader than similar bans which have been in place intermittently since 1984.
Those past actions were limited to about $600m worth of funding, covering family planning.
Trump’s version, takes that up to eleven. It is called the “Protecting Life in Global Health” policy, and it will restrict nearly $ 9 B in foreign healthcare assistance.
About $6 billion of that supports programs for HIV/AIDS services, primarily in African countries.
It is expected to take several months before the new policy’s impact is fully felt on the ground.
