and in case you didn’t know:
“The policy, dubbed the “global gag rule” by its detractors, prevents US money from funding international family planning clinics that in any way promote abortion, including offering counseling and referral services.”
A day after the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, President Obama struck down a policy that denied US funding to many international family planning clinics.
By John Charles Reedburg
Obama is taking no mess.
On Friday, January 22, BARACK OBAMA signed an executive order that nullifies an anti-abortion policy instituted by Ronald Reagan in 1984.
The policy, dubbed the “global gag rule” by its detractors, prevents US money from funding international family planning clinics that in any way promote abortion, including offering counseling and referral services. It was struck down by President Clinton in 1993, but reinstated by President Bush on January 22, 2001, the 28th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.
Population Action International, a family planning advocacy group, said of Obama’s decision:
Family planning should not be a political issue; it’s about basic health care and well-being for women and children. Women’s health has been severely impacted by the cutoff of assistance. President Obama’s actions will help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, abortion and women dying from high-risk pregnancies because they don’t have access to family planning.
Unsurprisingly, Republican politicians are displeased at the move. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia wrote, “Just a day after thousands of Americans came to Washington to celebrate the principle of life, President Obama has made it clear that reducing abortions is not one of his priorities.”
While supporters of the policy say it is unfair to use taxpayers’ dollars to fund a procedure many find unethical, it is important to remember that many of the clinics previously affected by the policy exist in areas ravaged by diseases like HIV.
Denial of funds to a women’s health clinic in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, is taking away money spent on AIDS education and testing, among other services.
