For decades, U.S. anti-abortion groups have lobbied domestically and abroad for restricting access to abortion.
In the U.S., their biggest success was the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Now, the Trump administration is delivering new momentum to the movement exporting “family values” to nations overseas.
As the administration ramped up its global battle against abortion, more and more women in Africa are at heightened risk of medical complications and death.
The expanded restrictions build on the anti-abortion advocacy work carried out by conservative U.S. nonprofits abroad — especially in Africa, where healthcare is highly dependent on foreign aid. The region has the world’s highest estimated proportion of unsafe abortions and highest maternal mortality rates — including the highest number of maternal deaths per 100,000 abortions.
“We’re gonna start blocking every international NGO that performs or promotes abortion abroad from receiving a dollar of U.S. money,” Vice President JD Vance told a crowd of anti-abortion demonstrators in Washington early this year.
