President Trump’s Budget Would Cause Millions of Unintended Pregnancies and Abortions around the World

President Trump’s Budget Would Cause Millions of Unintended Pregnancies and Abortions around the World

Elimination of international family planning assistance escalates the Trump administration’s ruthless assault on women and compounds deadly effects of expanded Global Gag Rule.

Today, President Trump unveiled a budget plan for the coming year that would inflict unprecedented and destructive cuts targeted at the poor and most vulnerable, including a complete elimination of international family planning assistance from $607.5 million in FY 2017. Trump’s radical budget threatens women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services that help improve maternal and child health, reduce unintended pregnancies, lower HIV infection rates, and promote women’s rights and empowerment.

Abandoning investments in international family planning would be felt by women and girls who are left without recourse to find alternative means to protect themselves against unplanned pregnancies—many of which will now result in unsafe abortions. Eliminating U.S. assistance for international family planning and reproductive health programs would result in 3.3 million more abortions; 15,000 more maternal deaths, 8 million more unintended pregnancies, and 26 million fewer women and couples receiving services.

The budget follows the Trump administration’s announcement last week of a devastating Global Gag Rule expansion by fifteen orders of magnitude, which would for the first time also impact funding for HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, malaria, global health security and other global health programs. At the time, officials declared that “the United States remains deeply committed to supporting health programs around the world. This change will have no impact on the total amount of U.S. Government funding for health programs around the world.”

Today’s budget request patently contradicts these assertions. “By zeroing out international family planning, the Trump administration demonstrates its flagrant disregard for human lives,” said Jonathan Rucks, PAI’s director of advocacy. “It wasn’t enough to cut off providers of comprehensive services with Trump’s expanded Global Gag Rule—this budget would ensure that millions more will be left without access to care, imperiling global health systems.”

Investments in sexual and reproductive health programs lead to healthier communities and greater economic potential and security abroad. U.S. investments in family planning and reproductive health programs are cost-effective and save lives. Every $1 invested in contraception saves $1.47 in pregnancy-related care and up to $150 for every dollar invested in other development areas.

Learn more about how Trump’s Global Gag Rule and budget cuts will harm women and communities.

Download the infographic.

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PAI champions policies that put women in charge of their reproductive health. We work with policymakers in Washington and our network of partners in developing countries to remove roadblocks between women and the services and supplies they need. For over 50 years, we’ve helped women succeed by upholding their basic rights. To learn more, visit pai.org.