One of Donald Trump's first actions as president may be to reinstate the so-called "global gag rule," which prohibits doctors that receive federal funding from talking about abortions with their patients.
According to a Foreign Policy report, one Congressional staffer tipped the paper off to the news. Trump's action could come as early as January 22, which marks the 44th anniversary of the landmark case Roe v. Wade decided by the Supreme Court in 1973.
Both sides of the aisle have used the "global gag rule" as a political talking point. It was started by President Ronald Reagan and requires that international nongovernmental organizations receiving funding for family planning cannot inform anyone about the need to make safe abortions available to women, give any legal abortion services or advise them on where they can get a safe and legal abortion.
Incoming VP Mike Pence has promised that the Trump administration will be fiercely anti-choice and Pence himself comes from a long line of anti-choice legislation and votes.
