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The Guardian News Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-...ump-gag-rule-international-safe-abortion-fundThe Guardian said:Up to 20 countries have indicated support for the Netherlands' plan to set up an international safe abortion fund to plug a $600m funding gap caused by Donald Trump's reinstatement of the ”global gag rule", the Dutch international development minister, Lilianne Ploumen, said on Wednesday.
Ploumen took soundings from a number of her colleagues around the world on Tuesday evening after the Netherlands said it would act to mitigate the impact on hundreds of charities around the world. The ”global gag rule", also known as the Mexico City policy, was reimposed by Trump on Monday, and bans US federal funding for NGOs in foreign countries that provide abortion services or abortion advocacy.
‘We're in talks with 15 to 20 countries and we've also spoken to foundations," Ploumen told the Guardian. ”As well as contacting a number of European countries that we work with on these issues, we're also in touch with countries in South America and Africa, as well as the foundations. It's important to have the broadest possible support for the fund."
Ploumen did not identify which countries had been approached or how much money the Dutch government might commit to the scheme. She said the aim would be to continue support for existing programmes being run by organisations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International.
”These are successful and effective programmes: direct support, distributing condoms, making sure women are accompanied at the birth, and making sure abortion is safe if they have no other choice," she said. Ploumen admitted that replacing the $600m that Trump has pulled from family planning services was a tall order, but added: ‘You should never compromise on your aims from the outset. Six hundred million dollars is a very ambitious target but we're committed to it.'
She hopes to be in a position to start arranging funding within the next two to three weeks. ”We need a bit of time for everyone to get organised, but I don't want it to take six months. The funding is being stopped immediately, so the sooner the organisations have the security of knowing that their programmes can continue, the better," she said.
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CBC News Article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-netherlands-trump-abortion-1.3954065CBC said:Canada's minister for international development has spoken with her Dutch counterpart about a proposal by the Netherlands to fund abortions overseas in the wake of President Donald Trump's move to ban American funding for such services. Lilianne Ploumen, the Dutch minister of foreign trade and development co-operation, announced her desire to establish an international fund earlier this week after Trump signed an executive order that prohibits funding to international organizations that promote or perform abortion.
Previous Republican presidents have applied similar limits on American aid, but Trump's policy significantly expands on the amount of funding that could be impacted. "We have to make up as much as possible for this financial blow, with a broad-based fund that governments, companies and civil society organizations can donate to," Ploumen said in a statement. "So that women can continue to make their own decisions about their own bodies."
Ploumen reached out to International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and the two spoke by phone on Wednesday. According to Bibeau's office, the Dutch initiative will be considered alongside the government's other options in this area. Bibeau's mandate letter already includes a commitment to ensuring that Canadian development aid for maternal, newborn and child health "is driven by evidence and outcomes, not ideology, including by closing existing gaps in reproductive rights and health care for women."
In an interview with The Guardian, Ploumen indicated her government was in talks with 15 to 20 countries. Belgian development minister Alexander De Croo has said his government supports the Dutch initiative. Bibeau's office says she and Ploumen have spoken on a regular basis about sexual and reproductive rights, including abortion.
​"Canada's intention is to advance a strong women empowerment agenda," Bibeau said in a statement provided by her office on Thursday. "This will include an increase in investments to support advocacy work for women's reproductive rights and for the provision of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including safe abortion, where legal and post-abortion care."
The government's approach, Bibeau said, "will ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every girl and woman is treated with the dignity and respect she deserves."
"We just concluded a very successful consultation and are now in the process of reviewing Canada's global assistance to be finalized in the coming weeks. Any additional funding will be decided post budget."
In light of all the Trump news, I figured some good political news would be a nice change of pace; especially for an issue such as this. Granted nothing is commited yet, a bunch of countries do seem legitimately interested in proceeding with making up the shortcoming caused by the USA