President Obama reverses abortion-funds policy

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jasin

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WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday quietly ended the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option. Liberal groups welcomed the decision, while abortion rights foes criticized the president.

Known as the "Mexico City policy," the ban has been reinstated and then reversed by Republican and Democratic presidents since Ronald Reagan established it in 1984. Democrat Bill Clinton ended the ban in 1993, but Republican George W. Bush re-instituted it in 2001 as one of his first acts in office.

A White House spokesman, Bill Burton, said Obama signed an executive order on the ban, without coverage by the media, late Friday afternoon. That was in contrast to the midday signings with fanfare of executive orders on other subjects earlier in the week.

Obama's action came one day after the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion.

The Bush policy had banned U.S. taxpayer money, usually in the form of Agency for International Development funds, from going to international family planning groups that either offer abortions or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion. The rule also had prohibited federal funding for groups that lobby to legalize abortion or promote it as a family planning method.

Both Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who will oversee foreign aid, had promised to do away with the rule during the presidential campaign. Clinton visited the U.S. Agency for International Development on Friday but made no mention of the step.

Obama has spent his first days in office aggressively signing executive orders reversing Bush administration policies on issues ranging from foreign policy to government operations. TV cameras were invited in for Wednesday's announcements on ethics rules and for Thursday's signing of orders on closing the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and banning torture in the questioning of terror suspects.

In a move related to the lifting of the abortion rule, Obama also is expected to restore funding to the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), probably in the next budget. Both he and Clinton had pledged to reverse a Bush administration determination that assistance to the organization violated U.S. law.

The Bush administration had barred U.S. money from the fund, contending that its work in China supported a Chinese family planning policy of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization. UNFPA has vehemently denied that it does.

Organizations that had pressed Obama to make the abortion-ban change were jubilant.

"Women's health has been severely impacted by the cutoff of assistance. President Obama's actions will help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, abortions and women dying from high-risk pregnancies because they don't have access to family planning," said Tod Preston, a spokesman for Population Action International, an advocacy group.

Anti-abortion groups criticized the move.

"President Obama not long ago told the American people that he would support policies to reduce abortions, but today he is effectively guaranteeing more abortions by funding groups that promote abortion as a method of population control," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee.

Obama also is expected at some point to lift or ease restrictions on federal money for stem cell research, an issue that divides people along similar battle lines, but there was no word about any action on that Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has expressed interest in pressing legislation on stem cells in the first 100 days of the new Congress if the new administration doesn't act.

Some scientists want broader use of embryonic stem cells than is currently allowed, hoping for new treatments for many diseases. Obtaining stem cells from four- or five-day-old embryos kills the embryos, and many opponents see that as taking life.

Obama signs order reversing abortion-funds policy - Yahoo! News
 
Why should we be funding international organizatiosns with this kind of money when we can use this money here at home?
 
Why should we be funding international organizatiosns with this kind of money when we can use this money here at home?

Problem is, the money wasn't being used here at home for the purpose of providing family planning and informative services, either. It fell into the 1.5 billion in the abstinence only coffers.
 
Why should we be funding international organizatiosns with this kind of money when we can use this money here at home?


I agree.

So is this funding meaning that we will fund abortions in other countries as well.

Or to help fund the Americans to go to other countries to perform the abortions.

I'm a bit confused by this.
 
I agree.

So is this funding meaning that we will fund abortions in other countries as well.

Or to help fund the Americans to go to other countries to perform the abortions.

I'm a bit confused by this.

Its funding to support the organizations that go to other countries and offer the services, plus education and information.
 
Its funding to support the organizations that go to other countries and offer the services, plus education and information.

I disagree with the funding of other countries with this type of issue.

America is in dire need of sex education and Birth control.

Funding other countries in this particular issue needs to be focused on our country first.
 
I disagree with the funding of other countries with this type of issue.

America is in dire need of sex education and Birth control.

Funding other countries in this particular issue needs to be focused on our country first.

I agree with that. But we have the funding here. All we need to do is take the 1.5 billion that was used for abstinence only under the last adminsistration and divert it to comprehensive services.
 
I agree with that. But we have the funding here. All we need to do is take the 1.5 billion that was used for abstinence only under the last adminsistration and divert it to comprehensive services.


You know what?

I do have to agree with you there.

I feel the last administration did some good and some bad.

I will confess as well as I am known to post here about Birth control, sex ed, HPV, and even stem cells reserch. Some of the things I disagreed with our last president.

I can say Obama will help us with that.

but he needs to focus on our country first. He is so wanting to reverse everything at once. By saying that he wants to be a hero in all the other countries as well.

He may do good. But he may also piss a lot of people off by doing so. Not just the Anti abortion people but the ones that are for it as well.
 
personally, i'm glad to see president obama take the bull by the horns and actually do something constructive. we haven't had that for the past 8 years, so it's a nice change.
 
You know what?

I do have to agree with you there.

I feel the last administration did some good and some bad.

I will confess as well as I am known to post here about Birth control, sex ed, HPV, and even stem cells reserch. Some of the things I disagreed with our last president.

I can say Obama will help us with that.

but he needs to focus on our country first. He is so wanting to reverse everything at once. By saying that he wants to be a hero in all the other countries as well.

He may do good. But he may also piss a lot of people off by doing so. Not just the Anti abortion people but the ones that are for it as well.

That is always a possibility. I just hope people will allow him the opportunity to explain his reasoning before they get pissed.:giggle:
 
personally, i'm glad to see president obama take the bull by the horns and actually do something constructive. we haven't had that for the past 8 years, so it's a nice change.


It is a dangerous tactic, but he may very well succeed.

Have to see how well he can handle that bull.

Hopefully he can.
 
That is always a possibility. I just hope people will allow him the opportunity to explain his reasoning before they get pissed.:giggle:


"I never had any sexual relations to that woman"

that kind of reasoning?

:giggle:


Anyhoo.

I do think Obama will do good. He has done some things already in a few days. Not bad...

As with any President. He will have some positive and negative feed backs.

So far he has done more good than bad. ;)
 
so far, obama is looking pretty darn good from where i'm sitting. smile.
 
Clinton was just a guy like me and anyone else. He had less morals, yeah, but he didn't do anything OFFENSIVELY wrong in terms of USA politics, unless you wanna take his testicles to court. Aside from that, for the most part his politics went fine right? People always want to find dirt on another.

Anyone wanna take some bets on the first muckraked media stuff that comes outta Obama?

What do you think it'll be?
-Adultery?
-Related to money?
-Lying?
-Found some dirt under his carpet or his rap sheet?
-Cheating something?
 
I had the same thoughts as Babyblue...wondered why the funding was going to the other countries? Can Obama take the funding and redirect it back to our own country and our own problems with sex education and support programs?
 
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