COVID-19 and Its Impact on Women in Kenya: Understanding Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Aftermath of the US’s Global Gag Rule

Image of Sarah Hubner and Ema Kuczura

Project member(s):

  • Sarah Hubner
    Ema Kuczura
    Kelly Hunter (2019-2021 DGHI Doctoral Scholar)

Faculty mentor:

COVID-19 and Its Impact on Women in Kenya: Understanding Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Aftermath of the US’s Global Gag Rule

Project overview

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health systems around the world and highlighted existing weaknesses in national health systems. In Kenya, these disturbances have been widely felt, however as an already marginalized group, women and girls have been particularly impacted, especially with regard to sexual and reproductive health. Kenya, like other low and middle income countries that receive foreign aid from the US, has experienced a decrease in funding to sexual and reproductive health services due to the US’s Global Gag Rule. The Global Gag Rule prohibits US global health assistance from going to foreign NGOs that perform or actively promote abortion. With the reinstatement and expansion of this policy in 2017 under the Trump administration, the funding landscape for sexual and reproductive health in Kenya was fundamentally altered, limiting many providers, advocates, and civil service organizations’ ability to meet the needs of their populations. To understand the twin impacts of the US’s Global Gag Rule and the COVID-19 pandemic, our team interviewed 30 non-governmental organizations focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Kenya. Stakeholders communicated that the Global Gag Rule and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the need for and the provision of sexual and reproductive health services through four mechanisms: 1. Demand-side factors; 2. Supply-side factors; 3. Barriers to service access; and 4. Spillover effects. The detrimental circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have been compounded by the existing financial and operational restrictions of the Global Gag Rule.

Project poster

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Project notes

To learn more about our research and the Global Gag Rule, and gain access to valuable resources on sexual and reproductive health and rights, visit the Center for Global Reproductive Health's website here: https://dukecenterforglobalreproductivehealth.org 

Additionally, take a look at our recent publication: “If You Don’t Help Me, I’m Going to Take My Life”: The Devastating Impact of the US’s Global Gag Rule and the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health in Kenya" in the International Feminist Journal of Politics.  https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2021.1896372 . 

Last updated on June 26, 2023