Fòs Feminista has been prepared for this decisive moment. We’ve strengthened the already significant role we play in expanding access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services and championing reproductive freedom.
There is no doubt that this is one of the most contentious and perilous times in our more than seven-decade history—but Fòs Feminista is resilient, and we have made sustainable investments to protect the long-term outcome of our sexual and reproductive health programs.
Our cover story gives an account of the sweeping rollback of sexual and reproductive healthcare funding and policies that impact our work initiatives—as well as the energy and expertise Fòs Feminista is putting into mitigating harm now … and in the future.
Trump was quick to curtail the U.S. government’s power and humanitarian outreach. And in the process, systems of law … justice, human rights … reproductive freedom …and basic human decency have been undercut.
We fully anticipated a push back on the recent gains that have been made in women’s global health programs. We suspected that the Global Gag Rule (GGR) would be reinstated and that there would be a withdrawal of support for the World Health Organization and UNFPA—the U.N. sexual and reproductive health agency.
But the dismantling of USAID funding and infrastructure goes so far beyond anything we’ve ever seen and has already had a tremendous cascading effect in so many realms.
Clearly, the current administration is far worse than the first. And they have made one thing abundantly evident: all efforts to erode the right to bodily autonomy—both within and outside the U.S.—are firmly in place.
The current administration has made a shambles of the checks and balances that safeguard lives worldwide. But even before this happened, Fòs Feminista had been putting our energy, resources, and expertise into mitigating damage, and protecting vital services.
While some of these cuts are being challenged in court, an outcome in our favor seems unlikely. That’s why Fòs Feminista is ensuring a continuity of care by providing essential sexual and reproductive healthcare supplies through our global network.
We’re training our partners in the Global South to advocate with their governments to invest in sexual and reproductive health. And we’re also helping providers to become less reliant on U.S. funding, and supporting our partners to develop sustainable funding models that ensure services over the long term.
We believe every champion of reproductive freedom should never lose sight of the power of our solidarity. It is especially critical to remember that we survived devastating government cuts before—and we will do it now by staying united.
