Trump's budget reductions deemed 'harmful' for globally vulnerable women, UN asserts
Revised Article:
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has been under fire since the Kemp-Kasten Amendment was enacted in 1985, a stance largely championed by US conservatives and successive Republican administrations. Under President Ronald Reagan, the agency was accused of backing forced abortions and sterilizations in China. As a result, funding to UNFPA has been slashed by several Republican presidencies, including the current Trump administration.
Natalia Kanem, the executive director of UNFPA, shares the harsh reality of these funding cuts, stating, "We've had over $330 million worth of projects ended, almost overnight, in some of the hardest hit regions of the world." These cuts have slammed areas like Afghanistan, with detrimental consequences.
As an example, Kanem points to the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, where over 18,000 deliveries were successfully conducted by heroic midwives without a single maternal death. However, with funding cuts, these maternity wards have shut down, leaving the midwives unable to continue their life-saving work. The precise impacts are yet to be estimated, but it's clear that increased maternal mortality and unintended pregnancies are on the horizon.
"What's different this time for UNFPA is that our ecosystem of other reproductive health actors who might be able to fill in for us are reeling from the impact of having their funding denied," Kanem lamented, adding, "This year has been drastically worse than ever before, precisely because now everyone is caught up in the whirlwind."
The Trump administration's withdrawal from funding reproductive health programs reaches beyond UNFPA, rating as "devastating" by Kanem. Furthermore, American policy poses challenges to gender equality, as Kanem emphasizes, "There should be no debate about the non-negotiability of the rights and choices of women and adolescent girls."
The UNFPA's latest annual report underscores the dilemma faced by millions worldwide: unable to create the families they desire. Over 40% of those aged 50 and above report not having the desired number of children; 31% claim they had fewer than they wanted, while 12% say they had more. Economic barriers hinder many from having more children, while one in five reported being pressured into having a child, and one in three adults experienced an unintended pregnancy.
Interestingly, the majority of those surveyed live in countries where fertility rates have fallen so far and fast that they are below replacement. This issue incites debate on whether there are too many or too few people, but UNFPA remains focused on the true desire, rights, and choices of women around the globe.
In essence, the U.S. funding cuts to UNFPA are not merely dollars and cents but have life-altering implications for women and families in need. © 2025 AFP.
- The United States' withdrawal of funding from UNFPA, under the administration of President Trump, has been termed "devastating" by Natalia Kanem, the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund.
- Policy in the United States, particularly with regard to reproductive health programs, poses significant challenges to gender equality, according to Kanem, who states, "There should be no debate about the non-negotiability of the rights and choices of women and adolescent girls."
- In the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, midwives have conducted over 18,000 successful deliveries without a single maternal death, but with funding cuts, these maternity wards have shut down, potentially leading to increased maternal mortality and unintended pregnancies.
- The UNFPA's latest annual report reveals that millions worldwide are unable to create the families they desire, with over 40% of those aged 50 and above reporting not having the desired number of children, and one in three adults experiencing an unintended pregnancy, which underscores the life-altering implications of the funding cuts to UNFPA.
