Trump Visits Helsinki to Face "Himself" Pregnant
Crowd of Pregnant "Trumps," Gagged Women & Organizers M4iD Warn Americans of Global Gag Rule's Devastating Impact as Gag Comes to America
NEW YORK, July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As protests continue to follow President Trump throughout his European trip, he faced a pregnant version of "himself" today. Pregnant "Trumps," gagged women and scores of activists staged a street performance in Helsinki's Senate Square today during the Trump & Putin summit. More than a protest of the US President, organizers had a message for Americans as the administration makes plans to roll-out the gag rule in the US: "Beware of the Gag Rule, we've seen its devastating impact."
The protest is against the Mexico City policy aka the "Global Gag Rule," which the Trump administration re-instated and drastically expanded further than any previous Republican administration. Healthcare experts say tens of thousands of women have died or been injured and millions more could be left without access to life-saving healthcare services in developing countries.
Despite the fact that there is a ban prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion, more than 1,000 bills have already been passed in the U.S. preventing doctors from providing referrals and severely limiting women's access to information. Currently in the US, 20 million American women rely on healthcare from publicly funded clinics. The Trump administration seeks to enact the Gag Rule in the U.S. by applying the same restrictions to Title X-funded organizations that serve 4 million women.
Trump's expanded terms of the rule prohibit all global health funded doctors and recipients from providing information, qualified referrals, associating with providers or advocating for safe services -- even with their own funding. This includes organizations that prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, malaria, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis and promote maternal and child health.
Independent protest organizers M4ID launched #resistgag after seeing the devastating effects first-hand in their work in Asia and Africa. "We are using our creative forces to get some vital attention on this largely unknown policy," said Jennifer Paavola, Creative Director at M4ID. "The fact is women are dying every day and many are losing access to healthcare as a result of the Global Gag Rule. We hope with more awareness this attack on women could come to a stop."
Date: July 16, 2018, 1pm CES
Place: Senate Square, Helsinki
Photos/Video Available Here
Data points on impact and details of US proposed changes attached.
SOURCE M4iD
Share this article