Funding Freeze Hits Women's Health Care Hard, Experts Warn

Thu Oct 23 2025 08:02:11 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Experts claim Trump's foreign aid freeze has severely impacted global women's health initiatives.

In less than a month, the suspension of foreign aid by the Trump administration is wreaking havoc on women's health services worldwide, as clinics shut down and millions go without care.

In a dramatic escalation of the impact of the Trump administration's suspension of foreign aid, the health landscape for millions of women and girls is deteriorating rapidly. Just three weeks into this freeze, reports indicate that essential services such as maternity and reproductive care, as well as treatments for conditions like cancer and H.I.V., are being gravely affected.

Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, heading the Global Health Council, painted a bleak picture of the implications of this policy shift, highlighting that patients are being turned away from clinics where they previously found care. “You can’t get treatment and you can’t get care because America has decided on a whim that you are not worthy,” she remarked, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

The statistics are equally alarming. According to Dr. Elizabeth Sully from the Guttmacher Institute, approximately 2.5 million women and girls are currently being denied contraceptive services, a figure that is projected to surge to 11.7 million by the time the Trump administration’s review of foreign aid mandates concludes.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that this freeze on almost all foreign aid is part of a broader examination to discern which programs align with U.S. national interests. Amidst this shift, the United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.)—a primary facilitator of aid to women-focused health groups—has seen its resources substantially diminished, with remaining support being shifted to the State Department.

In response to this unsettling trend, a panel organized by the United Nations brought together representatives from key organizations including the United Nations Population Fund, the Global Health Council, MSI Reproductive Choices, and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. They aimed to raise awareness and advocate for action, emphasizing the urgent need for a reevaluation of the current health aid strategy.

Overall, the international community is sounding alarms as they witness first-hand the rapid deterioration of women's health services due to a policy that many deem draconian and misaligned with humanitarian needs.