President Biden is expected to use its executive power to pursue the Mexico City policy, otherwise known as the global joke rule, as part of a slew of executive actions on Thursday, according to three people familiar with the White House’s plans. Mexico City’s policy prohibits federal dollars from going to non-governmental organizations that provide money abortions, advocate legalization and extension of access to abortion, or who provide abortion advice.
This policy, first announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, has been regularly enacted by Republican governments and repealed by Democratic governments.
But Mexico City policy expanded under the Trump administration, banning funding for NGOs who in turn fund other programs that provide abortions or abortion counseling.
A 2020 report from the Government Accountability Office found at least 54 instances in 2017 where NGOs did not accept US federal aid funds because they did not want to end their advocacy for abortion or limit abortion advice. According to the report, this resulted in the NGOs losing $ 153 million.
Mr. Biden is also expected to ask the Department of Health and Human Services to review a similar policy in the United States that prevents money from Title X, a federal program designed to help patients with low income, reproductive health care, to go to health. care centers that provide abortion counseling.
Finally, Mr. Biden is expected to deny or withdraw the 2020 United States approval of the Geneva Consensus, a non-binding international declaration signed by countries opposed to abortion. Led by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the United States was among the more than 30 countries, namely Uganda, Hungary, Indonesia, Brazil and Egypt, to join the consensus. The text of the pact is also viewed by critics as anti-LGBTQ and anti-same-sex marriage, as most of the countries involved have failed to legalize same-sex marriage and several others are criminalizing and prosecuting their LGBTQ citizens.
These executive actions are expected to be part of additional health-related actions on Thursday, the people familiar with the plans said.
While these actions were expected, Mr. Biden has not always supported expanding access to abortion. For decades, the then Senator supported Biden the Hyde amendment, which prohibits the use of federal money for abortion services in most cases. But under pressure from progressive groups and fellow Democratic presidential candidates, Mr Biden changed his position in June 2019 and now said for the withdrawal of the Hyde Amendment.
“I cannot justify the failure of millions of women to have access to the care they need and the opportunity … to exercise their constitutionally protected right,” Biden said at the time.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.