The U.S. State Department informed U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker that the United States is cutting off funding for the United Nations Population Fund, an international program that promotes abortion and sterilizations. In January, the Trump administration announced a return to the "Mexico City policy" of not funding international aid programs that encourage women to get abortions.  Reuters: Known by critics as the "global gag" rule, Trump broadened its scope to include all global health assistance in his Jan. 23 executive order that withholds at least half a billion dollars in U.S. funds. A lack of clarity around the rule, however, has left aid groups scrambling and both Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers seeking clarity. In a statement on its website, UNFPA said it regrets the U.S. decision to end funding, which it said is based on an "erroneous claim" that the agency supports coercive...(Read Full Post)