Obama on Abortion and The Gag Law
New President Returns Support to International Aid Organizations
Jan 26, 2009 Victoria Anisman-Reiner
Within only days of taking the Presidential office, Barack Obama has waded into controversial territory with an executive order reversing the "gag law" on U.S. foreign aid going to abortion education.
On Friday, January 23, 2009 – the day after the 36th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision in the Supreme Court – Obama said foreign aid funds will be allowed to go to organizations that may provide abortions or abortion counseling.
What is the Gag Law or Gag Rule?
The gag rule is a U.S. policy specifying that any organizations receiving U.S. support may neither perform abortions, promote abortion, or provide counseling or referrals related to abortion.
In other words, NGOs receiving U.S. federal funds were "gagged" when it came to mentioning abortion in any way.
The gag rule has been a bone of contention between Democratic and Republican governments; the policy has been overturned and reinstated with virtually each change of government since it was first put in place.
History of the Gag Rule in U.S. International Aid
The original "gag law" was introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. It was announced at the UN International Conference on Population in Mexico City; as a result, the policy is often called the "Mexico City Policy," the "Mexico City Gag Rule" or the "Global Gag Rule."
The policy was left in place by George Bush Sr. during his term, but was reversed by Clinton in 1993. In 2001, George Bush Jr. brought the gag law back into effect. Now, in 2009, President Obama has reversed the gag policy once again.
Impact of the Gag Law on Foreign Aid and Abortion
Although the intent of the gag rule was focused on preventing US funds from supporting abortion programs and abortion education in foreign countries, the impact of the policy has inevitably been more widespread.
"The gag rule alone led to closure of one-third of the family planning clinics of Kenya," says Bill Ryerson, president of the Population Institute in Washington. "As a result, the birth rate went back up, which has badly affected women's lives." (3)
President Obama and the Mexico City "Gag" Policy
Pro-life rallies in Washington on the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision did little to sway President Obama from his previously expressed views about abortion and women's choices.
In the Democratic debate of April 26, 2007, Obama said: "I think that most Americans recognize that this is a profoundly difficult issue for the women and families who make these decisions. They don't make them casually. And I trust women to make these decisions in conjunction with their doctors and their families and their clergymen, and I think that's where most Americans are." (2)
His decision to devote funding to international organizations regardless of their stance on abortion speaks to his having the same faith in the decisions of women overseas.
"For too long, international family planning assistance has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of a back and forth debate that has served only to divide us," Obama said. "I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate." (1) Yet he has.
Sources:
(1) CBC News, "Obama reverses Bush's ban on abortion funding abroad." January 23, 2009.
(2) Obama, Barack, Democratic debate, April 26, 2007. YouTube Video accessed online January 26, 2009.
(3) Ward, Olivia, "Obama dumps 'gag law'," Toronto Star. January 24, 2009.
Barack Obama Has Reversed the Gag Law on Abortion
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