Dutch government plans to launch global abortion fund to counter Trump's ban

Jardine Malado Friday, January 27, 2017

Pro-choice demonstration about Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. | Wikimedia Commons/jordanuhl7

Lawmakers in the Netherlands are planning to set up a global fund for abortion in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's reinstatement of a policy that bans international groups from receiving U.S. taxpayer funding if they promote or perform abortions.

The Mexico City Policy, which was signed by Trump on Monday, requires foreign NGOs receiving U.S. aid to certify that they do not perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning.

On Tuesday, Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation for the Dutch government, announced plans to launch an international fund for projects relating to birth control, abortion and women's education throughout developing countries.

A foreign ministry spokesman has said that the Dutch government has already held preliminary discussions about the proposal with European Union members who have responded positively. Businesses, social institutions and governments outside the EU will also be approached to participate in the project, according to Reuters.

Dutch officials have estimated that the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy could reduce funding by $600 million over the next four years.

"This has far-reaching consequences. First of all, for all those women who have to make, if they want to have a child, a choice, but also for their husbands and children and society as a whole. Banning abortion does not lead to fewer abortions. It leads to more irresponsible practices in back rooms and more maternal deaths," Ploumen told her colleagues, according to the Independent.

The policy was first introduced by Ronald Reagan at a United Nations conference in Mexico City in 1984. It was blocked by former President Bill Clinton when he took office in 1993. George W. Bush reinstated the policy, but Barack Obama overturned it again in 2009.

Ploumen cited figures from Marie Stopes International, which suggested that up to 14 women a day would die as a result of the policy.

Foreign ministry spokesman Herman van Gelderen said he was confident that the proposal would not damage relations with the new U.S. administration.

"Where decisions are taken that are bad for women in developing countries we should help those women. It's not about the politics, it's about those women," he said.