The Abortion Wars: How US Foreign Policy is Killing African Women

The Trump administration’s latest move to restrict funding for organizations promoting access to abortion overseas has sparked widespread outrage. But a closer examination of its implications reveals a devastating consequence for Africa, where maternal mortality and unsafe abortions are already rampant.

Africa accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths, with staggering numbers: over 180,000 pregnancy-related deaths occur annually across the continent. Sub-Saharan Africa bears the brunt of these statistics, with millions of women forced to resort to illicit and often deadly procedures due to inadequate access to safe abortion.

The Maputo Protocol, signed by African countries two decades ago, obliges signatory nations to legalize abortion in cases of rape, incest, fetal malformation or risk to a woman’s health. However, implementation has been patchy at best, leaving women with no choice but to seek out unsafe abortions.

The US anti-abortion movement, emboldened by President Trump’s policies, is now pushing to overturn even this limited access to safe abortion. Vice President JD Vance’s announcement at the March for Life demonstration in Washington was a chilling example of this intent: “We’re going to start blocking every international NGO that performs or promotes abortion abroad from receiving a dollar of US money.” This policy shift is more than just a restriction – it’s a declaration of war on women’s reproductive rights.

The impact of this policy will be felt most acutely in Africa, where healthcare is highly dependent on foreign aid. The region has long been a focus for US anti-abortion groups, which have funneled millions into the continent to promote their agenda. According to an analysis by the Institute for Journalism and Social Change, publicly available information from nonprofit tax filings of 17 such groups show that money sent to Africa jumped 50% between 2019 and 2022, to over $16 million.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is also active in Africa, including opposing reproductive rights issues. While its communications manager claims that only a quarter of the church’s $1.5 billion spent overseas last year was dedicated to Africa, the true extent of its influence and funding remains unclear.

This policy shift sets a disturbing precedent for US foreign policy: prioritizing ideological purity over human lives. By restricting access to safe abortion in Africa, the Trump administration is sending a clear message: that women’s reproductive rights are secondary to its own conservative agenda.

Nardos Hagos of the International Planned Parenthood Federation warned, “We’re gonna see more women dying from unsafe abortions.” This bleak prediction must be taken seriously, given the US history of exporting its values and policies abroad – often with disastrous consequences. The stakes have never been higher for women in Africa: will the international community step up to protect their rights, or stand idly by as more lives are lost to the abortion wars?