An Honest Conversation about the Mexico City Policy

With the reinstatement of the Mexico City policy following the presidential administration change in January, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) lost funding for providing abortion services and counseling abroad. This policy affects millions of women globally and the ramifications of its reinstatement are difficult to comprehend. Through a panel discussion with experts we identified and reviewed several questions about the Mexico City policy through the perspective of medical students: an explanation of the policy itself, how it affects NGOs, how NGOs prepare for a loss in funding, how the policy influences women’s health abroad, and what medical students based in the US can do to increase health care access abroad. This discussion helps students consider the challenges of global health and explored ways of thinking globally, but acting locally to make a difference to underserved populations.