Bush blocks funds for abortion groups abroad

Bush blocks funds for abortion groups abroad

WASHINGTON, JAN 23: In his first reversal of the Clinton administration's policy, President Bush has issued an executive order blocking federal money from being allocated to international family planning organisations that offer abortions and abortion counselling.

Bush issued the order at the end of his first working day in the Oval Office, on the same day that Washington was host to a national protest against the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision of the US Supreme Court, which made abortion legal. ``It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortions either here or abroad,'' Bush said in the order.

Bush's action reinstates a ban first issued by President Reagan in 1984 during a Mexico City population conference. Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush, continued that policy during his administration, but President Clinton, in his first week in office, reversed it in 1992.

At stake is about $425-million used by overseas organisations in developing countries to promote family planning. Most of the money is used for nutrition and counselling, advocates say.

Throughout the campaign, Bush consistently spoke of his opposition to abortion rights but didn't make that one of his high-profile campaign issues. Even as he issued the order, he kept a low profile by breaking from the tradition of his father and Reagan and not speaking directly to the protesters. ``We share a great goal,'' Bush said in a statement read to the protesters. That goal is ``to work toward a day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law. We know this will not come easily, or all at once.''

House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts, of Oklahoma, issued a statement lauding Bush's order. The ``American taxpayer has no business in the abortion business,'' he said. Abortion-rights organisations condemned the policy change and warned of new restrictions that could come during Bush's administration. The groups were troubled by the order's timing and symbolism, combined with the nomination of abortion-rights opponent Missouri Sen John Ashcroft for Attorney General.

Bush's ``moderate demeanour in the campaign was a facade'', said Kate Michelman, president of the National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League. ``His actions today clearly demonstrate that he intends to use his power to restrict women's reproductive choices, if not take them away,'' she said.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush's action was based on his philosophical opposition to abortion rights, and that the policy reversal was ``something everybody expected.''

The Wall Street Journal