Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) joined the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, and Health and Human Services to release the second Review of the Implementation of the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA) Policy. The Policy aims to ensure that U.S. taxpayer funding does not support foreign non-governmental organizations that perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.

As the world's largest bilateral donor to global health programs, the United States remains committed to helping women and children thrive, particularly in countries where the need is greatest. In the past ten years, USAID has helped save the lives of more than 9.3 million children and 340,000 women. Now, as the world grapples with the pandemic of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to recognize the importance of essential health care. The implementation of the PLGHA Policy is a key element of USAID's work that demonstrates the Administration's respect for, and commitment to, human life. Implementing the Policy has not changed USAID's global health assistance funding levels by even one dollar.

As follow-up to the six-month review released by the U.S. Department of State in February 2018, this second review examined the PLGHA Policy's benefits and execution. As such, this review of the PLGHA Policy provides detailed information on the small number of awards affected by organizations that declined to agree to the Policy, including how the declinations affected awards and ongoing assistance, as well as USAID's efforts to transition activities to new partners as quickly as possible to prevent or resolve any delays or gaps in care.

President Donald J. Trump has made it clear that the United States will "never tire of defending innocent life." The PLGHA Policy and the significant U.S. funding devoted to global health programs to save lives, protect vulnerable populations, and promote the stability of communities and nations clearly illustrate that commitment.