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Health

USAID funding freeze devastates reproductive healthcare worldwide

The Trump administration’s pause on US foreign assistance could lead to an estimated 4.2 million unintended pregnancies and more than 8300 pregnancy-related deaths

By Grace Wade

19 February 2025

Women lining up at a mobile tent for reproductive health services at a clinic in Zimbabwe

MSI Zimbabwe/Arete/Tendai Marima

The day Donald Trump took office as president of the United States, he issued an order temporarily pausing foreign aid, including the funding that flows through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The funding freeze will have permanent consequences. It has already crippled global health programmes, including critical reproductive health services, placing millions of lives at risk – particularly those serviced by providers in lower-income countries.

Population Services Zimbabwe…

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