[link removed]
Dear John,
The U.S. government has just expanded a harmful U.S. foreign policy known as the Global Gag Rule—and it’s a major blow to global health and human rights.

Why? Because now the United States will use the power of all its foreign assistance funds to restrict work by a wide array of actors on abortion, gender equity, LGBTQI+ rights, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

“This policy weaponizes U.S. foreign aid to force the administration’s harmful agenda on people around the world,” says Anu Kumar, Ipas President and CEO.

Expanding the Global Gag Rule is a strategic plan to not only widen the U.S. government’s influence over sexual and reproductive health globally but to force governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), UN partners and more to comply with anti-rights restrictions if they want to receive any U.S. funds.

“This expanded Global Gag Rule is all about control,” Kumar says. “The current administration wants to control what people do with their bodies, what governments and NGOs can do with their own funds, and even what civil society is allowed to say about health, human rights and equity.”

Make no mistake: This policy is going to deny millions of people access to reproductive health care they’re legally entitled to in their own countries. And it will deeply damage the work of many feminist and social justice organizations around the world.

But together, we will resist and persist. Ipas will work tirelessly to support local partners and governments to understand the policy’s restrictions—and importantly, what services, actions and programs are still allowed.
Now more than ever, information is power. We’re here to keep you informed on how harmful U.S. policies like this one threaten reproductive rights.

You can learn much more about the expanded Global Gag Rule—and how the U.S. is using coercive “health agreements” with other governments to bolster the rule’s harms—in this new story on our website ([link removed]) .
In the news:
Ipas shares analysis

Ipas leaders and experts have been sharing insights from our global work with the media regarding the expanded Global Gag Rule and new coercive “health agreements” the U.S. is signing with other governments:

January 29, 2026
Health Policy Watch
Latest US Restrictions on Aid ‘Bully’ Recipients to Accept ‘Extremist Ideology’ ([link removed])

January 25, 2026
Daily Nation
Africa on the back burner in Trump’s first-year scorecard ([link removed])

January 23, 2026
Axios
Trump admin to expand foreign aid abortion ban to gender identity and DEI ([link removed])

January 23, 2026
Common Dreams
‘Stunning Abdication of Basic Human Decency’: Trump Ripped for Expanding Global Gag Rule ([link removed])

January 16, 2026
The Independent
‘Coercive’ Trump-led US health deals could cause global abortion access to collapse, charities warn ([link removed])

January 15, 2026
New York Times
U.S. Cuts Health Aid and Ties It to Funding Pledges by African Governments ([link removed])
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
mailto:[email protected]
DONATE NOW ([link removed])
Were you forwarded this email? Click here ([link removed]) to become a subscriber yourself!

============================================================
Copyright © 2026 Ipas, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Ipas
PO Box 9990
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-1990
USA

You are signed up to receive our Ipas Updates emails.
** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
| ** update subscription preferences ([link removed])
| ** view email in browser ([link removed])