Women’s Refugee Commission Applauds Introduction of Legislation to Block Expansion of Global Gag Rule

Washington, DC — The Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) today expressed strong support for legislation introduced in the House and Senate to block the expansion and implementation of the Mexico City Policy, known as the global gag rule. The Protecting Human Rights and Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act would prohibit the use of Federal funds to implement, administer, or enforce the rule.

“Women and girls around the world are already paying with their lives for the gutting of US aid for sexual and reproductive health, protection from violence, and women’s empowerment and inclusion. Clinics have closed, mothers have died in childbirth, and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence have nowhere to turn,” said Sarah Costa, WRC’s Executive Director. “The expansion of the global gag rule will only further endanger the lives and rights of women and girls around the world. We thank Senators Shaheen and Rosen and Representatives Meng, Frankel, DeGette, Jayapal, Jacobs, and Meeks for their leadership to stop this senseless expansion and fight for the dignity and wellbeing of women and girls. We urge Congress to swiftly pass this legislation.”

In January 2025, the Trump administration reinstated the global gag rule, which prohibits US funding to foreign organizations who provide, counsel, refer, or advocate for legal abortion services in their own countries—even when these activities are supported entirely by non-US funds. In January 2026, the administration announced an expansion of the policy to a wider range of programs and activities, including those that promote “discriminatory equity ideology” or “gender ideology.” This includes abortion education, diversity and racial justice activities, and gender-affirming care and will apply to almost all non-military foreign assistance, not just health aid.

Background

WRC’s report, A Year of Harms: The Impact of US Foreign Aid Cuts on Women and Girls in Humanitarian Crises, documented how the 2025 US foreign aid cuts have affected women and girls.

Two key findings:

• Lifesaving healthcare lost at scale: 88 percent of US funding for maternal and child health and 94% of funding for sexual and reproductive health was cut. These cuts have forced hundreds of clinics to close and left millions of women without care. This could impact care for as many as 16.8 million pregnant women annually and result in 510,000 excess maternal deaths by 2040.
• Women and girls less safe from violence: A 78 percent cut in aid to protect women and girls from violence has resulted in more than three million women and girls in humanitarian settings losing access to services that help prevent and respond to rape and sexual assault.

These are not short-term disruptions. They result from the deliberate dismantling of systems built over decades to keep women and girls alive and safe. The global gag rule expansion will force even more organizations to abandon their commitments to gender equality or lose the funding they need to survive, compounding every harm already documented. The Women’s Refugee Commission urges Members of Congress to support the Protecting Human Rights and Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act and to protect the millions of women and girls who will be harmed by this administration’s actions.

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