The Danish government has pledged to give $50 million to countries affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order banning U.S. aid to groups that provide or promote abortions overseas.
Trump reinstated the “Mexico City policy” Jan. 23 in one of his first moves as president. Also known as the “global gag rule,” it is expected to have a $600 million impact on worldwide abortion funding. (RELATED: Trump Signs Executive Order Reinstating Ban On Funding And Promoting Abortion Overseas)
Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the money is meant to help women affected by rape, human trafficking and forced marriages in countries affected by the “global gag rule.”
“We have a president sitting in the White House who has withdrawn from all international collaboration related to family planning,” Rasmussen told state broadcaster DR. “This is a clear signal to America. If somebody drops the torch, others must pick it up. The world needs leadership.”
Representatives from numerous NGOs and about 50 different national governments attended the “She Decides” conference in protest of the global gag rule in March. Organizers said the total amount from pledges reached 181 million euros ($190 million), with Sweden and Finland being the highest contributors at $21 million each. (RELATED: Campaign In Protest Of Trump Raises $190 Million For Abortions)
Organizers said the end game is to match the entire shortfall from Trump’s executive order in the near future.
“This is not an event or movement against something or someone. I think that the Trump administration’s decision is the wrong decision,” Belgian minister Alexander De Croo told Reuters. “These 50 countries are going to work together to make sure that the impact of that decision on the field is going to be minimal.”
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