Latest news with #GenevaConsensusDeclaration
USA Today
31-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Another View: Trump week one actions affecting health and welfare
Another View: Trump week one actions affecting health and welfare According to Vice President J.D. Vance, as of last Sunday, President Trump took over two hundred actions last week, many of which affect the health of women and minorities. Trump signed a slew of executive orders that will have far-reaching effect on sexual and reproductive health and rights. So many actions were taken that average citizens, and journalists, were overwhelmed and unable to process all of them. Many of these actions are modeled after the hard-right agenda laid out in Project 2025. The intent of these aggressive moves is clear: to cause chaos and confusion and impact the federal government's role in safeguarding the rights and well-being of women and minorities in the United States and abroad. This list of damaging actions is merely a snapshot of what Trump has changed in his first week in office. Reinstating the global gag rule: Blocks non-US non-governmental organizations from receiving US global health assistance if they provide abortion services. Pardoning 23 individuals convicted of harassing abortion patients and clinics: This action sets a dangerous precedent, potentially encouraging more harassment or worse, violence. Pausing US foreign aid: This pause, and potential end to US foreign aid, affects efforts to reduce poverty and improve health outcomes. Promoting a global anti-abortion agenda: Trump plans to rejoin the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a coalition of countries with extreme anti-abortion beliefs that there is no international right to abortion. Reversing Biden administration abortion policies: Trump revoked orders for federal agencies to safeguard and expand access to abortion that will likely weaken protections for access to abortion care. Shutting down Removing this resource limits access to crucial information on abortion and other reproductive health care and is pure and simple censorship. Withdrawing from the World Health Organization: Hindering international cooperation on a wide range of health issues. Diseases know no boundaries. Reversing Biden administration agreements to lower certain medication costs for citizens on Medicare and Medicaid: Forcing citizens to choose between eating and paying bills or buying prescribed drugs. Freezing federal health agencies (NIH, CDC, etc.)communications: Preventing the timely dissemination of critical public health information and disrupting applications for funding by research entities. Proclaiming the US government recognizes only two genders: Disregarding the scientific consensus on gender diversity which will lead to policies that harm the rights and health of transgender and nonbinary individuals. Eliminating the Gender Policy Council: This Council addressed gender equality and promoted policies that benefitted women and girls both in the US and internationally by advancing reproductive health and rights. Removing schools, churches, and hospitals as protected spaces: Causing undocumented people from seeking urgent medical care and other important services. Blocking Medicaid – One-fifth of Americans rely on Medicaid for their medical care, primarily the poor, and Trump has stopped that flow of funds. Who on earth benefits from moves like this? Pausing Federal Aid – Critical projects all over the US will be without funding for an unknown period of time. Many of these projects serve health, education, and nutrition improvements. What if you didn't get your paycheck for an indefinite period of time? Could you pay your bills? Of course not. These are but a small percentage of the hundreds of actions taken by President Trump this past week. More changes and actions are coming out each day. How can this onslaught be stopped? There is no person or institution that can stop this complete overhaul of the US government. Trump has control over both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court, so who are you going to call? Claudia Stravato is adjunct professor in the political science department at West Texas A&M University.
Budapest Times
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Hungary's role could expand in wake of US rejoining Geneva Consensus Declaration
Valerie Huber said the international coalition would not have survived without Hungary, because following Brazil's withdrawal from it, it was Hungary that offered to host their office in Budapest. Valerie Huber, one of the initiators of the international agreement on women and family policy, said Hungary's role could expand in the wake of the United States rejoining the Geneva Consensus Declaration in line with a decision by US President Donald Trump. Huber who is CEO-president of the Washington-based Institute for Women's Health told MTI on Wednesday that the international coalition would not have survived without Hungary, because following Brazil's withdrawal from it, it was Hungary that offered to host their office in Budapest. She added that Trump's decision about the US rejoining the declaration only four days after taking office was also a sign that US foreign policy under the new administration would be very different from that in the past four years. She noted that Joe Biden had decided as the previous president that the US would leave the family policy declaration. Szabolcs Takacs, Hungary's ambassador to the US, told MTI that Hungary had been consistent in remaining party to the declaration also in the past four years. Trump, his advisors and colleagues were aware of Budapest's dedication to the principles supported by the declaration and appreciated this. 'This could be another significant element of Hungary-US relations, and it is highly symbolic in social policy cooperation, demonstrating that both sides think along the same lines about the future of a healthy society,' he said. The Geneva Consensus Declaration was signed by five countries including Hungary on a US initiative in the autumn of 2020.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US gov affirms no 'human right' to abortion, rejoins international declaration
The federal government under President Donald Trump rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD) on Friday, affirming there is no "human right" to abortion. The U.S. rejoined the international declaration last week, according to a communication from the United States Mission to the United Nations. The coalition of governments, which was first adopted in October 2020, are united around a pro-life policy stance. The Biden administration exited the coalition by Executive Order in January 2021. "The Trump Administration has stated its commitment to promoting women's health and the preservation of the family values that the international coalition as a whole, and its individual member states, support through national policy and legislation," the message reads. The U.S. was a founding member of the GCD, which is now comprised of 40 signatory countries that uphold the right to life of the unborn and affirm national sovereignty with regard to pro-life laws and policies. Desantis Jokes He's Ready To 'Welcome' Ny Times To Pro-life Movement After Headline Recognizing The 'Unborn' The Declaration states that "every human being has the inherent right to life" and declares that there is no international obligation to promote or fund abortion. It also promotes holistic strategies for advancing women's health and well-being, including maternal care, education and economic development. Read On The Fox News App "The United States will pursue these objectives in cooperation with member states in the UN system and through our continued shared ambition for improved health for women and girls," the message announcing the move reads. "Investing in women's health and well-being saves lives, allows women and girls more opportunities and protects the family as the fundamental unit of society." Elyssa Koren, an international human rights lawyer for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, said that by rejoining the GCD, the United States sends a clear message that it is committed to advancing a pro-life stance on the world stage and that there is no international "human right" to abortion. "This signals a massive reorientation away from the virulent abortion promotion that characterized the Biden administration's international engagement, particularly with the developing world," Koren said. "With this action, the United States is decisively rejecting ideological colonization by saying no to the imposition of abortion pressure on sovereign nations." She also said the decision to rejoin the Geneva Consensus Declaration carries significant legal weight in that it prevents the emergence of a false "human right" to abortion by customary international law. Ogles And Other Republicans Push Federal Ban On Chemical Abortions "The Trump Administration should be commended for recognizing the importance of defending unborn life at the international level," she added. "This is sure to have an enormously empowering effect on governments across the world that are trying to uphold their pro-life laws and policies in the face of enormous pressure from the pro-abortion lobby." Valerie Huber, the founder and president of the Institute for Women's Health (IWH) and architect of the Geneva Consensus Declaration, commended Trump for fulfilling his promise to rejoin the GCD. "By rejoining, President Trump sends a bold message that the United States stands with sovereign nations to defend the real health needs of women against coercive tactics by global power players," she said. "I was a special representative for global women's health under Trump 45 and saw how ideological colonialism was standing in the way of authentic gains for women and girls, especially in the developing world," she told Fox News Digital. "I also saw firsthand during negotiations at the United Nations, how countries were being disrespected, that something needed to change because women and girls were unnecessarily dying or have developing lifelong health conditions that were totally preventable." Abortion Survivors Slam Dems For Blocking 'Born-alive' Abortion Bill: We Are Not Treated As Human Beings' Huber said ideology was taking priority over real health, prompting the creation of the GCD. Abortion "is not a fundamental human right," she said. "It's up to the countries to decide themselves. We know that if something is deemed a human right, then countries have no sovereign authority to set their own laws and that is the direction that far too many organizations and advocates under the name of women's health are putting their time and effort." Through the GCD, she said, developing nations are given a voice, instead of being "drowned out by intimidation and even threats for silence." "When a coalition of nations make a statement or negotiate a particular policy position, the power is much greater than the sum of its parts, and so the GCD is important for multilateral negotiation," she said. "Biden removed the U.S. from the GCD in day eight of his administration, which shows that what should not be a political issue was heavily politicized," she added. "The fact that Trump rejoined in the first hundred hours, I think it shows that women's health is going to be about women's health again, and I'm happy to see that."Original article source: US gov affirms no 'human right' to abortion, rejoins international declaration
Fox News
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
US gov affirms no 'human right' to abortion, rejoins international declaration
The federal government under President Donald Trump rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD) on Friday, affirming there is no "human right" to abortion. The U.S. rejoined the international declaration last week, according to a communication from the United States Mission to the United Nations. The coalition of governments, which was first adopted in October 2020, are united around a pro-life policy stance. The Biden administration exited the coalition by Executive Order in January 2021. "The Trump Administration has stated its commitment to promoting women's health and the preservation of the family values that the international coalition as a whole, and its individual member states, support through national policy and legislation," the message reads. The U.S. was a founding member of the GCD, which is now comprised of 40 signatory countries that uphold the right to life of the unborn and affirm national sovereignty with regard to pro-life laws and policies. The Declaration states that "every human being has the inherent right to life" and declares that there is no international obligation to promote or fund abortion. It also promotes holistic strategies for advancing women's health and well-being, including maternal care, education and economic development. "The United States will pursue these objectives in cooperation with member states in the UN system and through our continued shared ambition for improved health for women and girls," the message announcing the move reads. "Investing in women's health and well-being saves lives, allows women and girls more opportunities and protects the family as the fundamental unit of society." Elyssa Koren, an international human rights lawyer for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, said that by rejoining the GCD, the United States sends a clear message that it is committed to advancing a pro-life stance on the world stage and that there is no international "human right" to abortion. "This signals a massive reorientation away from the virulent abortion promotion that characterized the Biden administration's international engagement, particularly with the developing world," Koren said. "With this action, the United States is decisively rejecting ideological colonization by saying no to the imposition of abortion pressure on sovereign nations." She also said the decision to rejoin the Geneva Consensus Declaration carries significant legal weight in that it prevents the emergence of a false "human right" to abortion by customary international law. "The Trump Administration should be commended for recognizing the importance of defending unborn life at the international level," she added. "This is sure to have an enormously empowering effect on governments across the world that are trying to uphold their pro-life laws and policies in the face of enormous pressure from the pro-abortion lobby." Valerie Huber, the founder and president of the Institute for Women's Health (IWH) and architect of the Geneva Consensus Declaration, commended Trump for fulfilling his promise to rejoin the GCD. "By rejoining, President Trump sends a bold message that the United States stands with sovereign nations to defend the real health needs of women against coercive tactics by global power players," she said. "I was a special representative for global women's health under Trump 45 and saw how ideological colonialism was standing in the way of authentic gains for women and girls, especially in the developing world," she told Fox News Digital. "I also saw firsthand during negotiations at the United Nations, how countries were being disrespected, that something needed to change because women and girls were unnecessarily dying or have developing lifelong health conditions that were totally preventable." Huber said ideology was taking priority over real health, prompting the creation of the GCD. Abortion "is not a fundamental human right," she said. "It's up to the countries to decide themselves. We know that if something is deemed a human right, then countries have no sovereign authority to set their own laws and that is the direction that far too many organizations and advocates under the name of women's health are putting their time and effort." Through the GCD, she said, developing nations are given a voice, instead of being "drowned out by intimidation and even threats for silence." "When a coalition of nations make a statement or negotiate a particular policy position, the power is much greater than the sum of its parts, and so the GCD is important for multilateral negotiation," she said. "Biden removed the U.S. from the GCD in day eight of his administration, which shows that what should not be a political issue was heavily politicized," she added. "The fact that Trump rejoined in the first hundred hours, I think it shows that women's health is going to be about women's health again, and I'm happy to see that."
Khaleej Times
26-01-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Trump targets abortion access at home and abroad
President Donald Trump took aim at abortion access in the United States and overseas on Friday, after promising activists rallying in Washington that he would protect the "historic gains" of the anti-abortion movement. Trump revoked two executive orders signed by Joe Biden protecting abortion access, which the former president put in place after the Supreme Court's seismic decision to overturn the constitutional right to the procedure in 2022. Biden had moved to protect access to abortion pills and women's ability to travel to states where the procedure is not banned for care, among other things. But Trump — who has been enthusiastically backed by the self-described "pro-life" movement — undid those protections with his own order on Friday. He also cut off US funding to foreign civil society groups that provide abortion services, and put the United States back into an international statement opposing abortion rights. A White House memo issued on Friday reinstated the so-called Mexico City Policy — known by critics as the "global gag rule" — which bars foreign NGOs from using American aid to support abortion services or advocacy. The policy, first instituted by Ronald Reagan in 1984, has been implemented by every Republican administration since, and rescinded by every Democrat in the White House. Separately, the Trump administration announced it would rejoin the "Geneva Consensus Declaration", a 2020 statement of countries saying they hope to "protect life at all stages." The original statement was spearheaded by Trump's then secretary of state Mike Pompeo, an evangelical Christian, but rejected by Biden. Those moves "are direct assaults on the health and human rights of millions of people around the world", Rachana Desai Martin of the Centre for Reproductive Rights said in a statement. Biden had signed two orders following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn abortion rights. His July 2022 order aimed to expand access to emergency contraception and protect women's health data, pushing back against any attempts at digital surveillance. The order responded to concern that women's data such as their geolocation and apps that monitor their menstrual cycles could be used to go after those who have had abortions. The July order also sought to protect mobile clinics deployed to the borders of states that have banned abortion. Trump rescinded that, as well as Biden's August 2022 order that aimed to help women travel out of state to access abortion services. The moves are part of a flurry of orders Trump has issued since returning to the Oval Office shoring up his right-wing agenda. Earlier, Trump had addressed the Washington rally, the 52nd annual March for Life on the National Mall, which also featured masked neo-Nazis. "In my second term, we will again stand proudly for families and for life," Trump said in a pre-taped video message broadcast to the crowd. Trump, who was touring natural disaster zones in North Carolina and California, vowed to "protect the historic gains" made by the anti-abortion movement. At least 100 members of the Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, marched in military style to the sidelines of the rally and stood in columns holding US flags, Christian symbols and banners reading "Strong families make strong nations." Their leader Thomas Rousseau — flanked by two men with white bandanas covering their faces — told AFP he believed in "patriotic principles", including the "restitution of the American family unit". Some rally attendees were angered by the group's presence. Trump has touted himself as the "most pro-life president ever" and in 2020 became the first sitting commander-in-chief to attend the March for Life. But he has a spotty record on the issue and refused to back a federal ban during his election campaign. "Praise God for President Trump. He's not our Saviour, though," said David Makovey, who flew from California for the march.
