Bush bans abortion funds

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JAN. 23. In his first major reversal of the Clinton administration's policies, the U.S. President, Mr. George Bush, signed an executive order denying federal funds to overseas groups that are involved in abortion.

On the 28th anniversary of Roe vs Wade that made abortion legal by a U.S. Supreme Court decision, Mr. Bush said, ``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.''

Basically, Mr. Bush puts in place a ban that was first initiated by Mr. Ronald Reagan in 1984 and one that was sustained by the elder Mr. Bush. But the Democratic President, Mr. Bill Clinton, reversed the policy.

At stake here is US$ 425 millions used by overseas agencies in developing nations in the realm of family planning. Much of the money disbursed goes to spending on nutrition and counselling, it is maintained. The funding had become a major bone of contention among conservative Republicans who had used every available situation to block resources. In fact, Republicans in the House of Representatives protesting abortion have tied up money going to the U.N.

While Mr. Bush's move has the support of anti-abortion forces who basically believe that the U.S. has no business in the ``abortion business'', the Executive Order has expectedly taken a lot a flak from abortion rights organisations and women's groups. Many are particularly annoyed with the timing - that it came on the anniversary of Roe vs Wade and in the context of Mr. John Ashcroft's nomination for Attorney General.

During the course of campaign, it was generally felt that Mr. Bush had kept a relatively low profile on abortion at times giving the impression that he was more to the centre than many fundamentalists in his party would want. But critics say the moderate image is beginning to unmask and that he is really keen on using his power to restrict a woman's right to choose, if not fully take it away. But the White House maintains that the Order was only to be expected given Mr. Bush's philosophical opposition to abortion rights.

On Monday, Mr. Bush did not confine himself to the issue. Basically starting the day by addressing the White House staff on what he expects of them, he moved on to legislative business and held a series of meetings with key actors in Congress starting with the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives and Senate.

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Section  : International
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