"These excessive conditions on foreign and development assistance undermine the United States' efforts to advance gender equality globally by restricting our ability to support women's health and programs that prevent and respond to gender-based violence," Biden said in a memorandum to his Cabinet.
"The expansion of the policy has also affected all other areas of global health assistance, limiting the United States' ability to work with local partners around the world and inhibiting their efforts to confront serious health challenges such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, among others," he said.
The year before Trump terminated the funding, the U.S. had provided $69 million to the UNFPA. In addition, Biden directed the State Department and Department of Health and Human Services to withdraw from the so-called Geneva Consensus, an October 2020 document signed by 34 countries that sought to promote anti-abortion policies and others deemed "Pro-family" worldwide.
Trump had expanded the Mexico City rule to include nearly all federal health funding, but its effects were felt most abroad, where U.S. assistance can be an essential part of a country's health care spending.
Although supporters of the policy argue that the overall amount of U.S. health care aid was not affected, critics maintain it contributed to a rise in pregnancy-related complications as well other issues by forcing some clinics to reduce broader health services, including for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases, if they wanted to retain funding.
"U.S. foreign policy - and the foreign entities we fund with billions of dollars in grant money - should consistently affirm, care for, and tangibly assist women and children - including unborn baby girls and boys," said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who has been one of the most vocal abortion opponents in Congress.
"Funneling U.S. tax dollars to abortion groups overseas is an abhorrent practice that flies in the face of the 'unity' Joe Biden and Kamala Harris promised to inspire," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which seeks to elect anti-abortion candidates to Congress and other offices.
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/biden-health-care-abortion/2021/01/28/id/1007691/
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