Reducing the harm of U.S. foreign policies

The U.S. government has a major role to play in the protection of human rights and reproductive justice. But two harmful U.S. foreign policies—combined with a growing global anti-rights movement—deny access to abortion care for millions of people.

Together, these two colonialist and ideologically driven U.S. foreign policies make it harder for people—particularly Black and brown women in low- to middle-income countries—to access abortion even when it’s legal where they live. An anti-abortion agenda drives these policies, which are designed to disrupt and coerce other countries’ health systems and civil societies into restricting the health and rights of people around the world.

Ipas has never received any funding from the U.S. government—and we never will. But we work with many local partners who do. We stand in solidarity with them, and work to reduce the harmful impact of these U.S. policies on all who are affected.

The Global Gag Rule

The Global Gag Rule is a U.S. policy, greatly expanded in Jan. 2026, that now restricts all U.S. foreign aid recipients—including foreign nongovernmental organizations, humanitarian efforts and programs run by U.S.-based organizations, UN partners and other governments—from engaging in abortion-related work, even if they are using their own funds. They are “gagged” from providing not only abortion services, but abortion counseling, referrals, medical advice, training and lobbying for the liberalization of abortion laws. Effective in Jan. 2026, the policy now also restricts funding recipients from working to advance diversity, equity and inclusion; gender equality; and LGBTQI+ rights.

The Global Gag Rule has been in place under every Republican administration since Reagan. This policy was reinstated by the first Trump Administration and expanded in scope, directing U.S. government agencies to apply an unprecedented global anti-abortion policy that violates human rights, bodily autonomy and democracy worldwide. The second Trump Administration again reinstated the Global Gag Rule in Jan. 2025, and then greatly expanded it in Jan. 2026 to apply to additional issues, funding and recipients.

“Bullying individual countries’ governments into complying with anti-rights and extremist ideology is despicable and unacceptable.”

Anu Kumar, Ipas President and CEO

Read her full statement in response to the Jan. 2026 announcement of the expanded Global Gag Rule

Backstory: 2025 reinstatement of the Gag Rule

Trump’s assault on human rights, bodily autonomy and democracy

On Jan. 24, 2025, President Trump doubled down on his administration’s anti-abortion policies, reinstating the harmful Global Gag Rule, rejoining the Geneva Consensus Declaration, and strengthening the Hyde Amendment. Ipas condemns this assault on human rights and reproductive freedom.

Read the full statement

What to expect from Trump 2.0: The anti-rights brigade are now in power

By Anu Kumar, Ipas President & CEO, in OpenDemocracy

Read the op-ed

The Helms Amendment

The Helms Amendment is a U.S. policy that prohibits the use of foreign assistance funds to pay for abortion “as a method of family planning.” Yet, in practice, it has been applied as a complete ban on the use for funds for abortion-related services and information. This makes the United States the only nation that singles out an essential health service in its foreign aid, stigmatizes it, and imposes an ideological viewpoint on programs that are meant to help millions of people.

In partnership with reproductive rights advocates in the United States and around the world, Ipas fights for the repeal of the Helms Amendment. And as we fight for full repeal, we are working for measures to lessen the far-reaching and dangerous impact these policies have on the lives and health of women.