Women This Week: Cuts to Title X Family Planning and Women’s Health Clinics
Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers March 29 to April 4.
April 7, 2025 4:31 pm (EST)
- Post
- Blog posts represent the views of CFR fellows and staff and not those of CFR, which takes no institutional positions.
Trump Administration Cites “Possible Violations” of Executive Orders
Last week, the Trump Administration moved to withhold federal funding from several Planned Parenthood clinics citing “possible violations” of federal civil rights laws and executive orders on immigration and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The pause on tens of millions of dollars administered through the Title X family planning program will affect the ability of Planned Parenthood to provide contraception, STI testing, and other health services to low-income Americans. The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments on whether states can remove Planned Parenthood clinics from state Medicaid programs. The case, which will be decided in June, could potentially see the closure of several clinics which provide patients with a wide range of health services, including cancer screenings and full physical exams. Rebecca Gibran, the CEO of one of Planned Parenthood’s impacted affiliates, said that consumer healthcare costs will rise as a result of cuts to Title X. “They want to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers to appease their anti-abortion backers, and they’re willing to take away birth control, cancer screenings and STI testing and treatment to get their way,” she continued. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has given affiliates ten days to report back their compliance with the administration’s executive orders.
France Considers Legislation to Add Consent to Rape Law
Last week, the lower house of the French Parliament passed legislation that would expand the definition of rape to include consent. The current law defines rape as “any act of sexual penetration, of any nature, committed on the person of another by violence, constraint, threat or surprise.” The new definition will include nonconsensual penetration. “We are moving from a culture of rape to a culture of consent, and this is the first stone we are throwing against the wall of impunity,” said Marie-Charlotte Garin, one of two lawmakers who proposed the bill. Several countries throughout Europe and in Canada already include consent in their rape laws. The push in France comes after the rape trial of Gisèle Pelicot, whose husband was found guilty of drugging and raping her and orchestrating her rape by dozens of men that he communicated with in online forums. Garin noted that 70 percent of rape victims are unable to resist due to psychological responses that leave them to freeze or dissociate during the violation. The bill will now move to the French senate for debate.
Birth Rates Decline as Women Opt Out of Childrearing in Latin America
More on:
According to data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), Latin American women are increasingly choosing not to give birth in a dramatic shift from traditional family roles in the region. Latin America has been experiencing a striking decline in the birthrate of any region globally since 1950. Women in the region are, on average, having four fewer children than they did in 1950 resulting in a current birthrate of 1.8 births per woman. Experts assert that this data reflects how women are turning away from deeply ingrained expectations of motherhood, in part because of a lack of state support and in part because they are prioritizing their own careers and livelihoods. Iran Sosa, founder of the Nunca Madres, said that better social security and healthcare from the government would help women as their role’s shifts. “It’s about autonomy,” she said. “They need to recognize that we exist, and not only that, but many more generations of girls are growing up and making the same decisions.” CEPAL estimates that birth rates will continue to decline over the next 75 years.
Diya Mehta is the intern for the Women and Foreign Policy Program
More on:
Post
Article
In Brief
