On January 23, 2017, President Donald J. Trump reinstated an executive order that began in the Reagan-era, halting US-funding overseas to international agencies that offer abortion in their family planning options. The executive order reads:
"The United States does not consider abortion an acceptable element of family planning programs and will no longer contribute to those of which it is a part. The United States will no longer contribute to separate nongovernmental organizations which perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations."
Often nicknamed "The Gag Rule", this executive order is a threat to women everywhere.
Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator
Consider this:
The world's poorest and least developed nations are the ones with the strictest abortion laws. Most women in these areas have no access to basic healthcare, better yet family planning options. They are not knowledgeable about birth control, condoms, or any kind of pregnancy prevention because of a lack of general education. Even if women in these areas are knowledgeable about what their pregnancy protection options are, most cannot afford birth control. Because of this lack of family planning and access to affordable birth control, women in some parts of the world are having the upwards of six children which puts a strain on a country's resources and only adds to existing poverty. Women are typically bound to the home to watch the children, their daughters marrying by the time they hit puberty and their sons working from the age of twelve. There is typically no kind of basic education. The cycle continues.
So you may ask, how does this concern you? Why should you care? It's happening so far away. It's their culture. They are used to it. Let them have ten children if that's what they desire!
Here's another, more cynical, fact I feel you should know: we are running out of room. There is only so much space on this planet we all have to share and we are quickly running out of it. What are we running out of exactly? Food! Clean water! Clean air! Human population over the past century has nearly doubled. Technological and medical advances mean we're living longer, healthier lives. The world's birth-rate is greatly outweighing the death-rate. We are changing the composition of this planet and we do not know what the effects are. The world cannot afford another big increase in population. We do not have the resources.
Now, let's move away from the concept of family planning and focus on basic women's health. Women need access to affordable, reliable healthcare. That is something no one can dispute. These clinics offers a number of great services outside of abortions including mammograms, STI/STD screenings, and basic physical exams. Halting funding to these institutions will stop this kind of aid and the health of women in this area will only continue to decline.
Lastly, I want to reflect on the fact that President Trump signed this order surrounded by men. Men who do not need birth control. Men who do not carry a child for nine-months. Men who did not need mammograms. Men who do not need to be screened for cervical cancer. Men who do not have children. Men who should never make policy regarding what a women can and cannot do with their body.
There is an African proverb I hold near and dear to my heart that reads: "You educate a woman, you educate a nation." In the light of all the changing policies in America, we cannot forget about those abroad who need our help and who need our voices.
Do not go silent on this issue. Your fellow women depend on it.
