The policy, set in place by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, was overturned by President Bill Clinton on the occasion of the Roe anniversary in 1993, just two days after taking office. President George W. Bush used the anniversary to reinstate it on his second full day in office in 2001.
“Instead he issued a statement reaffirming his support for a woman's right to choose, but also appealing--as he has in the past--for common ground approaches to abortion policy,” wrote Amy Sullivan of TIME who provided the above link to the statement at CBN news, quoting the passage:
"We are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services."
“Everyone knows he still plans on repealing the ban,” wrote Sullivan who mentioned that “House Republicans spent the day collecting 105 signatures on a letter they sent to Obama demanding he withdraw his 2007 pledge to sign the Freedom of Choice Act,” remarking that the Freedom of Choice Act, or FOCA, was low on the list of the Pro-Choice agenda.
The following day, President Obama did indeed reverse the Republican-supported policy according to NPR’s story, Obama Ends Global Family Planning Restrictions by Julie Royner.
The Mexico City Policy
The Mexico City Policy is named for the city where it was announced by a U.S. delegation at a U.N. International Conference on Population. The policy has banned U.S. taxpayers’ money from supporting family planning groups which perform or promote abortions, reported NPR.org.
While some say that the policy discriminates against the world’s poor, supporters of the policy note that the U.S. still provides millions of dollars in world-wide family planning assistance and that it prevents anti-abortion taxpayers from backing something they believe is morally wrong. The Bush administration had barred funding saying that the work of United Nation Population Fund in China supported a Chinese family planning policy of coerced abortion and involuntary sterilization which has been denied by the UNPF.
Keeping it Quiet
“Unlike many of the executive orders the new president signed earlier in the week, this one was done without fanfare, late on a Friday afternoon, in an obvious effort to minimize attention. It was also done the day after the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide,” wrote Royner.
The President defended his action by saying that the provisions of the policy "are unnecessarily broad and unwarranted under current law, and for the past eight years, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries” while condemning the use of international family planning "as a political wedge issue,” promising that “my Administration will initiate a fresh conversation on family planning, working to find areas of common ground to best meet the needs of women and families at home and around the world."
Reactions to the Action
Abortion rights supporters applauded President Obama, some even going so far as to gleefully ridicule the convictions of Sanctity of Life advocates. Abortion opponents voiced disappointment.
"One of President Obama's first acts is to rescind this vital government policy and reward pro-abortion groups," said Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. "This should serve as a bitter pill for those who campaigned for him, all the while proclaiming their belief in the cause of life and family." House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio responded, “This presidential directive forces taxpayers to subsidize abortions overseas — something no American should be required by government to do.”
"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.
