“Banning abortions does not result in fewer abortions,” said Lilianne Ploumen, Dutch trade and development minister. (Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken / CC BY-SA 2.0)

The United States isn’t the only nation with purse strings to pull. Days after Donald Trump signed an executive order banning aid to organizations in developing nations that “offer abortion counseling or if they advocate the right to seek abortion in their countries,” Dutch Trade and Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen announced plans for an international fund to “fill the gap” the U.S. is leaving worldwide.

From SBS Australia:

“Banning abortions does not result in fewer abortions,” Dutch Trade and Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen said in a statement.

“It leads to more irresponsible practices in back rooms and more maternal deaths.”

The World Health Organisation estimates that 22 million women experience unsafe abortions every year, the vast majority of whom are in developing countries. … Minister Ploumen said that the Trump administration’s decision risked undermining recent advances in women’s health.

“We must not let this happen,” she said.

“We need to compensate for this financial blow as much as possible, with a broad-based fund—which governments, businesses and civil society organisations can donate to—so that women can remain in control of their own bodies.”

— Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata

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#abortion#development#family planning#foreign policy#netherlands#politics#reproductive rights