The United States has long positioned itself as a global leader on human rights. For decades, American policymakers, philanthropists, and activists shaped global norms on women’s rights—championing reproductive health, gender equity, and legal protections through foreign aid, diplomacy, and international development.
From the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action to U.S.-funded reproductive health programs around the world, the U.S. projected itself as a defender of gender justice on the global stage. Its influence was far-reaching—not only because of its economic power, but because of its symbolic position as a constitutional democracy.
But today, the U.S. is also one of the most visible examples of democratic backsliding when it comes to gender equality.
The reversal of abortion rights, the rise of anti-feminist and pro-male extremist movements, and the growing attacks on gender-affirming care, comprehensive sex education, and diversity initiatives have deeply undermined America’s credibility—and emboldened anti-gender forces worldwide.
The world is watching. And the consequences are far-reaching.
⚖️ From Roe to Regression: The Fall of Federal Abortion Rights
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of federal protection for abortion rights. The fallout was immediate:
Over a dozen states implemented near-total abortion bans.
Millions of women—especially in the South and Midwest—lost access to local reproductive care.
Some hospitals refused to treat pregnancy complications, including miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, for fear of violating unclear laws.
Providers began facing threats, digital surveillance, and criminal prosecution.
The decision sent shockwaves globally. The United Nations called it a “huge blow to women’s human rights.” WHO officials and global health experts warned it would lead to rising maternal mortality, unsafe procedures, and increased health inequities.
Internationally, the U.S. became one of only four countries in the past 20 years to restrict abortion laws—alongside Poland, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. This placed the U.S. out of step with global trends, which overwhelmingly favor expanded reproductive rights.
More than just a domestic policy shift, Dobbs emboldened anti-abortion and anti-gender movements around the world. Lawmakers in countries such as Hungary, Brazil, and Uganda have invoked U.S. rhetoric to justify their own restrictions, citing the fall of Roe as proof that “Western democracies” are rethinking gender equality.
The symbolic damage was immense. For many global activists, the U.S. went from being a key ally to a cautionary tale—proof that gender rights can be undone, even in long-standing democracies.
🩸 Criminalizing Survival: When Law Punishes, Not Protects
The erosion of rights in the United States goes far beyond reproductive care. In many cases, the legal system not only fails to protect women—it actively punishes them for trying to survive.
Thousands of women—disproportionately Black, Brown, and Indigenous—are incarcerated for actions rooted in self-defense, survival, or coercion. These women are not anomalies; they are a reflection of how gender, race, and poverty intersect in systems of punishment.
Some are serving long sentences for killing abusive partners in self-defense, often after years of documented violence.
Others are criminalized for so-called "failure to protect"—charged with neglect or complicity in child abuse cases even when they were themselves victims of domestic violence.
Survivors of trafficking and exploitation are frequently prosecuted for crimes they were coerced into committing.
This punitive response is especially harsh for women who are poor, LGBTQ+, disabled, or undocumented. They are less likely to be believed, more likely to be arrested, and often lack access to competent legal defense.
The contradiction is stark: the same systems that claim to protect women from violence are the ones that surveil, blame, and incarcerate them. In effect, survival becomes a crime, and legal “protections” are revealed to be conditional—extended only to those deemed sympathetic or respectable.
Until self-defense is treated as a right for all—not just for white, middle-class victims—and until legal systems center the lived realities of survivors, the promise of justice will remain out of reach for many.
🌍 The Global Gag Rule: When U.S. Policy Crosses Borders
The reach of U.S. gender policy doesn’t stop at its borders. Through its global aid programs, the U.S. exerts massive influence on health care systems around the world—especially in the Global South. And one of the most harmful examples of that influence is the Global Gag Rule.
Also known as the Mexico City Policy, the Global Gag Rule prohibits foreign NGOs that receive U.S. funding from providing, referring, or even discussing abortion services—even with their own, non-U.S. funds. It has been repeatedly reinstated by Republican administrations and revoked by Democratic ones, creating cycles of chaos and instability in global health networks.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the Gag Rule has forced the closure of trusted clinics that provide HIV treatment, contraception, maternal health services, and sexual education.
Studies show the policy leads to higher abortion rates, not fewer, as women lose access to contraception and are forced to seek unsafe, underground procedures.
The policy disproportionately affects rural women, adolescents, and marginalized groups—those who already face barriers to care.
Reinstating or expanding the Global Gag Rule remains a top priority for far-right U.S. lawmakers, who see it as a way to impose domestic culture wars onto global health policy. Its effects are not just bureaucratic—they are fatal.
The Global Gag Rule illustrates how U.S. domestic politics can destabilize entire health ecosystems abroad, silencing providers, endangering lives, and undermining decades of progress in sexual and reproductive health. It turns U.S. foreign aid into a weapon—punishing the world’s most vulnerable to score points at home.
In the final part of this series, we will explore the path forward—how global movements are pushing back against the anti-gender tide, what strategies are proving most effective, and why the fight for gender justice in 2025 demands not just solidarity, but structural change. We will spotlight grassroots efforts that are leading the charge, from feminist organizing in the Global South to policy wins in unexpected places. And we will examine how everyday people can contribute to a transnational movement that refuses to give up ground.