When Donald Trump moved into the Oval Office in 2017, one of his first moves was to reinstate the Global Gag Rule—officially known as the Mexico City Policy. The rule, which was active under every Republican administration since Reagan and overturned under every Democratic one over the same period, basically strips “funding for family planning services and child health initiatives from organisations around the world that offer or even mention abortion services.”

While in Australia Abortions are partially funded under Medicare, the federal government-funded public health scheme, or by private healthcare insurers, Trump extended the policy to on-the-ground organisations which meant maternal health initiatives, anti-Zika efforts, and HIV/AIDS work at risk. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the lack of funds additionally affected projects related to “nutrition, malaria, water and sanitation, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases.”

For some perspective: the Trump administration’s expanded version of the policy was pinned to contribute to at least 6.5 million unintended pregnancies, approximately 2.1 million unsafe abortions, and over 21,000 maternal deaths.

Busy Philipps On Her Choice To Have An Abortion At Age 15

However now, according to NPR, Dr. Anthony Fauci told the World Health Organisation’s executive board that President Joe Biden plans to revoke the Mexico City Policy “as part of his broader commitment to protect women’s health and advance gender equality at home and around the world.”

This is also just one reported item on a long list of Trump actions the Biden administration plans to reverse. During his campaign, he pledged to overturn what reproductive advocates refer to as the “gag rule on Title X” as well.

Here’s hope for our US sisters.

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