Of the three executive orders President Donald Trump signed yesterday on trade, hiring and abortion, the one on abortion appears to impact Africa directly.
It bans federal spending on international groups, which perform or provide information on abortion.
Explaining it away, White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, said: “He wants to stand up for Americans, including the unborn.”
But Evelyne Opondo, regional director for Africa at the Center for Reproductive Health Rights in Nairobi fears that the ruling could lead to more abortions in Africa because reduced funding might mean less information for women about their sexual and reproductive health.
The international assistance funding from the US currently provides hundreds of millions of dollars for contraceptive services to millions of women and couples worldwide. Opondo told the BBC that Trump has hit Africa hard with his policy.
She said, “ This is an unfortunate move, because it disqualifies many agencies from US assistance. Even in countries where abortion is legal, many are poor. This would lead to less information on abortion.
“Without information you cannot prevent unwanted pregnancy. And without information and policy services from the agencies, you would find women who would not get safe, legal services in this direction.
“This is going to create a huge impact in Africa because if you look at most of our governments departments in Africa many are dependent on US support in the health sector. Women are in danger of being been raped and incest”
