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11% rise in maternal deaths in US aid-dependent countries under Republican administrations
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120798
INTRO: Maternal deaths rise by around 11% in countries that rely on US aid following a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration, suggest the findings of a data analysis published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.
This is equivalent to around 45 additional deaths for every 100,000 live births, eroding a fifth of the decline in global maternal deaths that has been achieved since 1985, conclude the researchers.
US foreign aid for family planning and reproductive health services has been heavily influenced by changes in the implementation of the Mexico City Policy—first introduced as the US Policy on Population Assistance under the Reagan administration in 1984, and often referred to as the Global Gag Rule (GGR), explain the researchers.
The policy prohibits disbursal of US aid for family planning to overseas non-governmental organisations that provide, make referrals to, or promote abortion-related services or information, even when these services are financed through non-US funds.
The policy was rebranded as the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy and expanded to apply to all US global health assistance during President Trump’s first term of office in 2017.
To estimate the impact of shifts in funding on maternal deaths, the researchers used data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators for every year between 1985 and 2023 to measure the maternal mortality ratio for 150 countries... (MORE - details, no ads)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120798
INTRO: Maternal deaths rise by around 11% in countries that rely on US aid following a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration, suggest the findings of a data analysis published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.
This is equivalent to around 45 additional deaths for every 100,000 live births, eroding a fifth of the decline in global maternal deaths that has been achieved since 1985, conclude the researchers.
US foreign aid for family planning and reproductive health services has been heavily influenced by changes in the implementation of the Mexico City Policy—first introduced as the US Policy on Population Assistance under the Reagan administration in 1984, and often referred to as the Global Gag Rule (GGR), explain the researchers.
The policy prohibits disbursal of US aid for family planning to overseas non-governmental organisations that provide, make referrals to, or promote abortion-related services or information, even when these services are financed through non-US funds.
The policy was rebranded as the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy and expanded to apply to all US global health assistance during President Trump’s first term of office in 2017.
To estimate the impact of shifts in funding on maternal deaths, the researchers used data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators for every year between 1985 and 2023 to measure the maternal mortality ratio for 150 countries... (MORE - details, no ads)
