US President Donald Trump [official website] on Monday reinstated [press release] a Reagan-era policy known as the Mexico City Policy [USAID statement] that prevents foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from receiving US funding if they provide abortions or promote policies that may lead to abortions. Enacted by Ronald Reagan in 1984, the policy was subsequently repealed by Bill Clinton when he took office in 1993, re-instated [press release] in 2001 by George W. Bush, and repealed again in 2009 by Barack Obama. The plan strictly defines what American funding may not be used for, including any form of abortion counseling or referrals to organizations that provide abortions.

With Republicans in both branches of Congress and in the White House, reproductive rights are likely to face increased scrutiny in the US. There has been a recent slew of state laws and suits dealing with abortion. In October a federal judge blocked a Mississippi law that disqualified [JURIST report] Medicaid benefits for non-therapeutic abortions. Also in October the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that a state law adding new licensing and inspection rules for facilities that perform abortions is unconstitutional.