The US election has been called: Donald Trump has been re-elected as President of the United States.
We’re hearing from team members and partners around the world who are worried about what this will mean for the women we serve. Trump’s policies will severely impact sexual and reproductive rights across the globe — that is undeniable.
But MSI has stood strong for 48 years, providing abortion and contraception unapologetically, expanding access to life-changing services and collaborating with partners across the reproductive rights movement. We have persevered through hardship, push-backs and reversals of progress like these, and we — all of us together — continue to stand strong in our commitment to defend the right to choose.
How will Trump affect reproductive rights globally?
Policy decisions made in the US have a far-reaching impact around the world. The US government provides the most international aid funding of any country: around $50 billion each year. Trump knows the power of this funding, and will use it to support his agenda.
When he is inaugurated in January, Trump will reinstate the Global Gag Rule, which prohibits organisations like MSI from receiving any funding from the US government if they so much as tell a woman that abortion is a legal option in her country, provide a safe service, or advocate for abortion rights.
Trump’s gag rule will require health and development organisations to sign that they won’t participate in anything abortion-related in order to receive any funding. MSI will not sign it. We never have and never will. But many organisations who rely on this money won’t feel they have a choice.
With 690 million women of reproductive age living in countries receiving US international funding, one in three women could have their reproductive health and rights impacted by Trump’s gag rule. It won’t just affect abortion access, it will strip women of contraception and other reproductive healthcare, too, like cervical cancer screenings and HIV testing.
Meanwhile, the harmful policies laid bare in the conservative roadmap, Project 2025, threaten to attack global rights and access to healthcare even further.
Immediate impacts on MSI’s frontline programmes
As we process this election outcome, here is what we know immediately:
Because MSI will refuse to sign Trump’s Global Gag Rule, we will lose $14 million of funding from the US, which will jeopardise frontline services for women and girls. Unless we can work together with donors to meet this challenge head on, 2.6 million people will lose access to MSI-supported sexual and reproductive health services in countries including Uganda, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
Women and girls in the poorest, most remote and marginalised communities will pay the harshest price, losing access to the services and choices they have come to rely on.
Contraception enables us to let our children grow, giving them adequate love and care. If MSI Zimbabwe weren’t here, we would be suffering.
Especially at risk is MSI’s programme in Zimbabwe, which relies heavily on US funding.
MSI Zimbabwe works closely with the public and private sectors across the nation to strengthen the delivery of sustainable sexual and reproductive healthcare. The programme has nine healthcare teams that travel to remote regions to provide quality services.
If alternative funding is not sourced, much of this work will be slashed immediately after Trump’s inauguration. This will remove services for 1.3 million women and girls, many of whom live in remote and marginalised communities with little to no alternative access to healthcare. As a result, we estimate 460,000 women will face unintended pregnancies and 1,400 women will die from preventable pregnancy-related causes, including unsafe abortions.
We’re urgently calling on donors to step up and protect access to reproductive healthcare and choices in these vulnerable communities.
We have a fight ahead of us
We will continue to learn the realities of Trump’s policies and Project 2025 as they unfold. But as we saw during the previous Trump administration, we expect a chilling effect on reproductive rights advocacy and collaboration, as many organisations will be afraid to partner with abortion providers, while the anti-rights movement could gain momentum, resources and powerful connections.
We know there’s a fight ahead. We need to stand as a united front to hold the line on reproductive rights, so another Trump presidency doesn’t reverse our hard-won progress. Because politicians should never dictate women’s healthcare decisions about their own bodies.
Simon Cooke, MSI CEO:
“The outcome of the US election does nothing to change MSI’s mission. It only strengthens our resolve. Any attacks will be met with powerful resistance.”
MSI’s healthcare workers are continuing to provide abortion care unapologetically. You can be sure we’ll keep protecting women’s access to healthcare, and fighting for the right to choose.
And we know many of you — our supporters, donors and partners alike — will be right there with us. Thank you for joining us in this fight.
What’s the Gag Rule?
Learn how the Global Gag Rule denies women their rights and access to abortion across the globe.
Press Release on US election
‘The world’s poorest women and girls will pay the price’ if Global Gag Rule is reimposed.
Donate to choose choice
Donate to join the fight against anti-choice extremism so women can get the healthcare they need.
