When Republican presidents win power in the US there is a stark consequence for many pregnant woman around the world – a significant rise in maternal mortality as aid is withdrawn, a new study has found.
Global family planning aid typically drops under Republican presidents and then rises again by 48% once Democratic presidents are elected, the research, published in BMJ Global Health, finds.
For countries heavily reliant on US aid, there are sweeping ramifications from this switch. When Republican presidents take control and shrink family planning aid, it correlates to an 11% increase in maternal mortality, the study found. This is equivalent to around 45 additional deaths for every 100,000 live births.
This on-off rise in maternal mortality since the 1980s, during a period when overall maternal mortality has declined worldwide, is linked to the use of the so-called global gag rule.
First implemented by Ronald Reagan in 1985, the rule blocks any federal funding for overseas organizations that provide, advise or advocate for abortion services.
This has resulted in many pregnant women failing to get adequate care, with maternal mortality rising by 16% in Latin America, 15% in Asia and 7% in Africa, the study, authored by a team of experts from the UK, Colombia and Sweden, found.
Under Donald Trump, the US has escalated this policy to apply to all US global health aid under a policy called Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance. His administration has dismantled USAID and terminated more than 90% of the agency’s awards for family planning and reproductive health programmes.
This is likely to have severe impacts for women around the world, the study’s authors warn.
“These results underscore the vulnerability of health systems to abrupt shifts in donor policy and highlight the importance of stable international support for reproductive health services,” they wrote.
“Although the policy named Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance under the Trump administration aims to protect life, our findings instead suggest higher rates of maternal deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth.”
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