Recently, I came across a video calling for the US to maintain its, “Mexico City Policy.” In the video, a variety of folks from across the continent speak out against American money coming overseas to fund abortions in Africa. This policy blocks funding to family planning organizations that direct people to or provide funding for abortions. Under the Trump administration, this rule was expanded to cover all U.S. health aid, which removed any U.S. funding for any health organization that provided funding to or direct access to abortions globally. This effectively made the ban 10 times as expansive. This move was largely unpopular on the left. On January 28, President Biden rescinded the rule, and as time moves forward, US funding will return.

Established by President Reagan in 1984, the policy has been rescinded and re-established along party lines by Presidents ever since. Unfortunately, the cries of these African people will be unheard by the President. Watching the video, I was reminded of the problems that come along with foreign aid. Those in the video, along with many others (myself included), perpetuates a form of neocolonialism. Wealthy nations push their agendas on others through their “aid.” In this case, a pro-abortion agenda, is being sent all over the world with US dollars. There, of course, are people on the African continent who support women’s access to abortion; however, most countries on the continent have much stricter abortion regulations than most western nations. This type of neocolonialism may not be intentional on the part of those supporting the President’s actions. Nonetheless, this type of agenda pushing is unwelcome. Most aid comes with some sort of strings attached, and it is sad to see the darkest strings our country has to offer sailing across the ocean once again.

The issues with foreign aid extend beyond the purview of this post. However, I would encourage anyone interested in learning more to check out the Acton Institute’s Poverty Inc. This movie, along with a variety of other Acton projects, dives into the negative consequences of “aid.” Often, aid is distributed in a way that actually harms the people it was intended to hurt. We need to think about the consequences of our actions. Sending abortion funding to other nations will not lift them out of poverty. Many believe that this is an ennobling and uplifting endeavor; somehow this is an expansion of women’s rights. Many also believe that, unburdened by unwanted children, women in these nations will gain the ability to pull themselves out of poverty. These people are making a grave mistake. People power the economy. Children are a blessing from God. Life is worth living for all. Spreading abortion across the globe will not actually help people across the globe; instead, it will perpetuate problems amongst the poor. We need to truly consider the effects of our actions on people’s lives.