President Trump swung U.S. global policy on family planning sharply to the right Monday, reimposing a ban on government support for international aid groups that provide or counsel women on abortion services. The move to reimpose the so-called global gag rule, a longtime priority of abortion opponents, was one of the new president’s first executive orders. “By redirecting taxpayer dollars away from the international abortion industry, President Trump has reinstituted life-affirming protections for unborn children and their mothers,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. But global health advocates have long criticized the restriction as imperiling women's health, particularly in developing nations. Advocates for women’s health condemned Trump’s move.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 23, 2017 19:31 UTC