Former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order reversing two Biden administration memorandums and reinstating the Mexico City Policy. This policy prohibits the use of taxpayer money to fund non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortions or involuntary sterilizations.
This action marks a return to a pattern established since the policy's inception during the Reagan era: Democratic presidents rescind it, and Republican presidents reinstate it. Under the Biden administration, the Pentagon covered travel expenses for service members seeking abortions across state lines, and Veterans Affairs facilities were permitted to offer abortion counseling and procedures. The Biden administration also facilitated abortion access for migrants detained at the border, including transporting unaccompanied minors to states with less restrictive abortion laws.
The Trump administration justified the executive order by citing the Hyde Amendment and similar legislation, which prevent federal funding for elective abortions, reflecting a long-held view that taxpayers shouldn't be compelled to finance the procedure. They argued the previous administration disregarded this consensus by incorporating taxpayer-funded abortions into various federal programs.
Trump's order specifically revokes two of Biden's executive actions that broadened access to abortions, including defining abortion as "reproductive healthcare." The order also clarifies that it doesn't create any enforceable rights or benefits.
The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) criticized the policy, arguing it would restrict abortion access globally and potentially force organizations providing abortion services or information to close. They also criticized the administration's involvement with the Geneva Consensus Declaration, an initiative focused on women's health, protection of life, family values, and collaboration within the UN system, labeling it as an "anti-reproductive rights and anti-LGBTQ political statement."
CRR expressed concern about the potential negative impact of the policy, citing increased pregnancy-related deaths, reproductive coercion, and gender inequality during the previous Trump administration. Live Action, an anti-abortion group, celebrated the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy.
Planned Parenthood and Physicians for Reproductive Health were contacted for comment but did not immediately respond.
