Six politicians have written to development secretary after US ruled it would stop supporting charities that provide women with information on abortion

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

MPs are calling on Priti Patel to take urgent action to support charities that provide women with information on abortion in an effort to limit the impact of one of Donald Trump’s first acts as president.

Six Labour politicians have written to the development secretary suggesting Britain takes similar steps to the Netherlands, which is planning to form an overseas fund after the US ruled that it would stop providing aid to international groups working in this area.

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“As we are sure you are aware, the new US president Donald Trump signed an executive order blocking funding for a number of international NGOs that support women’s rights and family planning,” the MPs wrote, about what has been dubbed the Mexico city policy, or global gag rule.

“We would implore you to take urgent steps on funding and policy as the Dutch government has and as the UK government has done so previously, to mitigate the impact of this decision.”

The group – Stephen Doughty, Stella Creasy, Gareth Thomas, Stephen Twigg, Luciana Berger and Anna Turley – praise Patel for championing the work of the Department for International Development (DfID) for women and girls in developing countries. They say it has focused on access to education, health services, family planning, better nutrition and water and sanitation.



“The department has been at the global forefront in helping poor women to lead healthy and productive lives, and to increase voice, choice and control for girls and women,” they add, warning that Trump’s decision could undermine DfID’s work.

They highlight the Dutch plans for a fund to help projects providing access to birth control, abortion and women’s education.

“If Britain is going to show the kind of global leadership the prime minister suggests, then we need to put our money where our mouth is and step in when others fall short” said Creasy, who helped organise the London Women’s March.

“Cutting funding for reproductive healthcare doesn’t end abortion, it ends safe abortions. Trump may not realise that but Britain does and should act accordingly.”

Doughty, a former aid adviser who sits on the development committee, argued that Trump had delivered a “sinister start” to his presidency.

“At a time when Donald Trump is advocating torture and slashing contributions to the UN – they are also gagging women’s rights organisations,” he said, urging Patel and Theresa May to try to undo some of the damage.

Thomas, who is a former DfID minister, said he had previously been involved in a decision to set up a fund after George W Bush, the last Republican president, stopped US aid funding safe abortion and family planning.

“We worked with allies in other development agencies to try to ameliorate the consequences of George Bush’s decision,” he said. “Now that Trump has followed suit I hope Theresa May will instruct DfID to once more lead the development community to help close the gap and thus support the rights of women across the world to live the life they want to.”

A DfID source said. “The secretary of state has spoken about the fact that family planning in development is an important priority to her. We will continue to show global health leadership by working to deliver this‎.”