President Reagan’s “Mexico City Policy” Bans Abortion Aid Overseas
President Ronald Reagan on this day imposed a ban on the expenditure of any U.S. foreign aid to any international group that provided information about abortion or performed abortion services.
The policy became known as the “Mexico City Policy” (and also as the Global Gag Rule) because it coincided with an international family planning conference in Mexico City.
The Reagan policy set in motion what became known as the “Mexico City Policy Wars.” President Bill Clinton rescinded the policy on January 22, 1993; President George W. Bush reinstated it when he took office in 2001; and President Barack Obama rescinded it yet again in 2009, on January 23rd.
Learn about the impact of this policy: http://www.ipas.org/~/media/Files/Ipas%20Publications/MythsGlobalGagRule.ashx
Learn more at a timeline of USAID family planning services: http://www.psi.org/impact-magazine/2011/05/usaid-family-planning-program-timeline-1965-present
Learn more: http://www.genderhealth.org/the_issues/us_foreign_policy/global_gag_rule