Countdown, Continued

Here's another reason to give George W. Bush the boot: Restoration of the Mexico City Policy--this isn't listed among his executive orders, but it carries the full weight of one. I'll cite it in its entirety:

January 22, 2001

MEMORANDUM FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SUBJECT: Restoration of the Mexico City Policy

The Mexico City Policy announced by President Reagan in 1984 required nongovernmental organizations to agree as a condition of their receipt of Federal funds that such organizations would neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations. This policy was in effect until it was rescinded on January 22, 1993.

It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either here or abroad. It is therefore my belief that the Mexico City Policy should be restored. Accordingly, I hereby rescind the "Memorandum for the Acting Administrator of the Agency for International Development, Subject: AID Family Planning Grants/Mexico City Policy," dated January 22, 1993, and I direct the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to reinstate in full all of the requirements of the Mexico City Policy in effect on January 19, 1993.
GEORGE W. BUSH

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Note the date: January 22, 2001--this was the FIRST action taken by the Bush pResidency. It was retroactively enforced from the Friday before he took office.

Religious Tolerance details the ramifications of the policy: with a stroke of the pen, Bush denied ANY funds to international organizations which offer abortion services, counseling, or even advocated access to abortion procedures as PART of overall efforts to promote family planning. This, by the way, was a Reagan-era order, rescinded by Bill Clinton.

Later, Bush himself partially rescinded the ban--this is because family planning agencies are also on the front line in many countries when it comes to dealing with the AIDS crisis--but the order requires organizations receiving funds to separately account for any spending on family planning--with the additional proviso that exceptions can be made in the case of rape, incest, of if the life of the woman is in danger.

While it's good to see that a modicum of common sense was considered, a woman's right to control her body is not negotiable. It's a woman's right. End of story. And funding of family planning organizations--including those offering abortion services--just makes good sense. Denial of a woman's right to control her body is a human rights violation.