We will not stand down: Women’s rights are non-negotiable
“We will not stand down. We will not sign the Global Gag Rule. Women’s reproductive rights are not negotiable.”
– Simon Cooke, MSI Reproductive Choices CEO responding to US election news
Donald Trump has won the 2024 election, and we must prepare for the reimposition of the Global Gag Rule. If Donald Trump follows through with the policies outlined in his Project 2025, it is the world’s most vulnerable women and girls who will bear the burden—losing access to life-saving reproductive healthcare, safe abortion services, and contraception. We will not stand by and let this happen.
MSI Reproductive Choices has never and will never sign the Global Gag Rule. We will continue to serve women, regardless of political agendas, because the stakes are too high. When the Global Gag Rule was last enforced, in 2017, it cut MSI’s funding by $120 million, impacting 8 million women globally. With that funding, MSI services could have prevented an additional 6 million unintended pregnancies, 1.8 million unsafe abortions, and 20,000 maternal deaths. Now, with the threat of its expansion under Project 2025, it is not just a policy—it is a direct assault on the reproductive rights of millions.
We are resolute in our stance: No politician will dictate our ability to provide women with essential healthcare.
Sanou Gning, Director at MSI Reproductive Choices said:
“If the Global Gag Rule is reimposed it will have a devastating impact on millions of women for years to come, depriving them of the contraception they need. It is the world’s poorest women and girls who will pay the price, with lives lost because they are unable to safely space their pregnancies or because they have no option but to resort to unsafe abortion. No one should have to pay such a terrible cost for trying to determine their own future.
“When Trump signed the last Gag Rule, we were deeply moved by everyone who stepped in to support our work and ensure we were able to continue to serve women and girls. But this time there is no alternative funding on the horizon and all the people we reach with USAID funding are at risk.”
A Direct Attack on Women’s Health
The Global Gag Rule, introduced by Ronald Reagan and reinstated by every Republican administration, has always been a political weapon. Its intention is clear: deny women around the world access to information and services that could save their lives. The rule blocks US government funding for organizations like MSI if they even mention abortion as an option, let alone provide it. It’s not about preventing abortions—it’s about preventing women from controlling their own bodies and futures.
Under Trump’s Project 2025, this policy could be expanded to include all foreign assistance, totaling an eye-watering $51 billion.
The Cost of Reinstating the Gag Rule? Lives.
In Zimbabwe alone, if the Global Gag Rule is reimposed, MSI’s partner program—Population Services Zimbabwe—would lose over 50% of its funding. That’s $9 million in USAID support for contraceptive services to some of the most remote communities, where women rely on MSI’s outreach teams for their healthcare. Without this support, 1.3 million women will lose access to essential services, leading to an estimated 461,200 unintended pregnancies and 1,400 preventable maternal deaths.
This isn’t just a financial loss—it’s a matter of life and death.
The Global Gag Rule is Counterproductive and Deadly
Despite its claimed goal of reducing abortion, studies—like those from Guttmacher—show the Gag Rule only makes legal abortion unsafe and inaccessible. It stifles progress, blocks access to contraception, and drives women to unsafe, illegal abortion methods. Reinstating this policy would not just reverse gains made in global reproductive health—it would send us back decades.
Beth Schlachter, MSI’s Senior Director of US External Relations, made it clear:
“If he follows through with his campaign commitments, Trump’s return to the White House will lead to a global assault on abortion rights and access. Another Trump Gag Rule – or worse, the adoption of the reproductive health policies outlined in Project 2025 – will cause millions of women to lose access to contraception, safe abortion, and other essential healthcare. It will bolster anti-rights movements around the world, with the US acting as a headquarters to accelerate global attacks on sexual, reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights.
“MSI has never and will never sign the Global Gag Rule, and we commit to doubling down on our efforts to hold the line on reproductive rights. If the Gag Rule is expanded to include US-based NGOs, MSI has the ability to fill the gap, but funding will be required to do so. Ahead of the inauguration, MSI is calling on partners, world leaders and donors who believe in the right to choose to step forward, to protect reproductive freedoms together.”
We Will Not Back Down
MSI will not sign the Gag Rule. We will continue to fight for reproductive rights, no matter the political pressure. But we need the world’s leaders, donors, and partners to stand with us. If we lose USAID funding, it’s not just MSI’s operations that will be affected—it will be the millions of women who rely on our services for their health, safety, and dignity.
We must find alternative funding because we will not retreat. We will double down on our commitment to serve women, to provide contraception, safe abortion, and post-abortion care. We will not let extremist and regressive political forces dictate the futures of women and girls around the world.
Modester’s Story is Our Story
Modester is just 20 years old. She lives in rural Zimbabwe, a place where access to contraception is scarce and healthcare is hard to come by. When Modester needed a contraceptive implant after having her first child, MSI’s outreach clinic was her only option. She says: “Contraception enables us to let our children grow, giving them adequate love and care. If MSI Zimbabwe weren’t here, we would be suffering.”
For women like Modester, MSI’s services aren’t just a convenience—they are a lifeline. If we lose USAID funding, women like Modester will be left with no options. And that is simply unacceptable.
Wellington Chundu is a team leader of one of MSI Zimbabwe’s outreach teams that is funded by USAID. He travels into remote communities to provide contraception and counselling.
Speaking about the risk that they will have to stop their services, he said,
“I feel we would have betrayed these communities. The families, the women and their kids.”
