Women and children will die after the Trump administration instituted a new "global gag rule" that blocks aid groups from providing information about abortions if they receive US funding, it has been claimed.
The rule now applies to groups receiving US funds to fight HIV/Aids or even malaria and covers nearly $9 billion (£7 billion) in aid, rather than the $600m (£465 million) restricted by the original Mexico City Policy.
Suzanne Ehlers, president of the PAI reproductive health NGO, said the move would "cause unspeakable damage to integrated care efforts across all health sectors". She added: "It will cost many around the world their lives, especially women."
PAI said the rules - dubbed the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance programme - would cause unsafe abortions, unintended pregnancies and child mortality to rise.
Shannon Kowalski, policy director at the International Women's Health Coalition, called the programme "cruel and unusual punishment". She told The Independent: "Instead of protecting life, it will increase maternal deaths by putting essential sexual and reproductive health care out of reach for far too many women."
The International Planned Parenthood Foundation said it was "set to lose $100m (£776,000)" and that the expansion, called for by Mr Trump in a January executive order, "will have devastating effects on HIV, family planning and maternal health programmes". It claimed 20,000 new mothers could be at risk of dying.
Amanda Klasing, a senior Human Rights Watch researcher, said: "Instead of relying on evidence on what works to reduce abortions and to stop women and girls from dying during pregnancy and childbirth, this US policy will do the opposite.
"As the largest global donor on health, the US is making pernicious use of US foreign assistance to make organisations choose between providing lifesaving services and maintaining enough funding to keep their programmes afloat.
"The expanded policy also imposes onerous and expensive reporting requirements that will burden with red tape the organisations providing critical services such as HIV, malaria, TB prevention and treatment, vaccinations, and newborn health programmes.
"It will silence doctors and advocates from speaking out in support of laws that protect women’s and girls’ health."
A State Department official told reporters Mr Trump believed "US taxpayer money should not be used to support foreign organisations that perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations."
Clarifying what constituted "family planning", they added: "Referrals for the termination of a pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, or endangerment of the life of the woman are not prohibited under this policy."
They said: "The United States remains deeply committed to supporting health programmes around the world. This change will have no impact on the total amount of US Government funding for health programmes around the world.
"Departments and agencies will reprogramme to other organisations any funding they would have awarded to NGOs that do not agree to the terms."
Last month, leaked State Department budget documents showed that for 2018 Mr Trump's administration was planning to axe its Office of Global Women's Issues. The office promotes the rights and empowerment of women and girls and guides how aid funding is administered to benefit women.
Charities including Oxfam and the Global Fund for Women reacted with outrage to the news, while Tarah Demant, senior director of Amnesty’s identity and discrimination unit, told The Independent the plan was "a clear middle finger to women globally".
The Trump administration has taken a staunchly anti-abortion stance since its earliest days. In January Vice President Mike Pence addressed the March for Life in Washington, and Mr Trump tweeted his "full support". Mr Pence, a devout Christian, told demonstrators: "Life is winning again in America."
February saw the leak of a draft order that would have enshrined a slew of conservative Christian beliefs, including that life begins at conception, in executive policy. The eventual incarnation of the order did not include that language, however.
Since it was unveiled by President Ronald Reagan, the Mexico City Policy has been routinely rescinded under Democratic administrations and reinstated under Republican ones, and is used by presidents to signal where they stand on abortion rights.
Even when it is not in place, federal law prevents the use of US funding for abortions abroad.
President Trump, a Republican, reinstated the policy in January, just days after taking office, but he went further and directed government agencies to figure out a plan to apply the policy "to global health assistance furnished by all departments or agencies".
