Washington D.C., Jan 28, 2021 / 06:43 am
President Joe Biden announced Thursday morning that he will be reversing the Mexico City Policy.
The policy prohibits U.S. funding of foreign NGOs that perform or promote abortions as a method of family planning. The White House announced that Biden would be issuing a Presidential Memorandum later on Thursday that "immediately rescinds the global gag rule, also referred to as the Mexico City Policy."
The policy, first instituted by President Reagan in 1984, is traditionally rescinded or reinstated by new presidents upon entering office. Republican presidents have enacted the policy, while Democratic presidents have rescinded it.
In 2017, the Trump administration reinstated it and subsequently expanded upon it. While the policy traditionally applied to a limited amount of international family planning funding-ensuring it did not go to groups promoting abortion as a method of family planning-the administration expanded it to include billions of dollars in global health assistance.