Reproductive Rights Watchdog Group, Equity Forward, Launches “Global Spotlight” To Shine a Light on Trump Administration Exporting Injustice Internationally
New research library highlights decision-makers across U.S. agencies who are making dangerous sexual and reproductive health policy
3.30.20 – Today, Equity Forward launched Global-Spotlight.org, an online library of research on political appointees that shines a light on how the Trump Administration is exporting anti-abortion, anti-woman, and anti-LGBTQ policies worldwide.
From Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Senior Policy Advisory for HHS Office of Global Affairs Valerie Huber to members of the newly formed Commission on Unalienable Rights, the site provides an in-depth look at key decision-makers across multiple federal offices who are creating and implementing dangerous sexual and reproductive health policies.
The website allows decision-makers to be sorted and viewed by offices across the federal government not just in the State Department but also the United Nations, USAID and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The site also allows for sorting research by issues under attack, and ties to outside extremist organizations — tracing these unqualified leaders’ years of extreme beliefs and policies. From xenophobia and Islamophobia to attacks on gender and reproductive rights language in UN resolutions, users can connect the dots between ideology, outside influence and policies that violate human rights, such as the Global Gag Rule. The site works in a similar way to Equity Forward’s oft-cited HHSWatch.org that tracks similar influence and connections at the nation’s health department.
“Xenophobia, homophobia and anti-abortion sentiment runs rampant and unchecked throughout the Trump Administration. The individuals who are charged with creating and advising on our policies overseas are no exception. Global-Spotlight.org will allow advocates, the media and the public to easily access information on the extreme and dangerous views of these representatives.” said Mary Alice Carter, Senior Advisor, Equity Forward.
“These are people who represent the United States in international forums and they are using those avenues to export hate. From peddling false theories on families headed by same-sex couples to spearheading campaigns that deny basic civil rights to transgender people to denying access to safe abortion and birth control to people other nations, they are causing astronomical harm.”
Just as the Trump Administration has launched attacks on sexual and reproductive health in the U.S., they are spreading the same injustice beyond our borders. From reinstating an extremist version of the Global Gag Rule to blocking United Nations efforts on women’s health, the administration’s global policies are harming the sexual and reproductive health that they are supposed to be preserving. This database comes as Democracy Forward and other human rights groups have sued the State Department due to the unbalanced ideological makeup of the Commission on Unalienable Rights; GAO has also just released a report on the detrimental effects of the Global Gag rule.
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Equity Forward is a watchdog project that seeks to ensure transparency and accountability among anti-reproductive health groups and individuals who are actively working to deny people access to services such as birth control and abortion. We are a staff of researchers, lawyers and communications professionals that uses research to inform reports and campaigns to effectively reduce or eliminate the damaging work of anti-reproductive health forces.