PrintJanuary 23, 2009
Obama to Reinstate American Funded Abortions Worldwide
This morning the announcement came from officials in Washington that Obama plans to sign an executive order that terminates the ban on American taxpayer funded abortions worldwide.
The ban, known as the "Mexico City Policy," was established by President Reagan in 1984 in order to prevent organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development from using taxpayer dollars to promote abortion as a "family planning" option in other countries. President Clinton revoked Reagan's ban in 1993, while President Bush reinstated the ban in 2001. Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State, will now have oversight over the distribution of American foreign aid. Some thoughts come to mind regarding this latest stroke of the pen by our new president.
First, in his inaugural address, Obama lectured Americans on the merits of "responsibility" as well as on the need to overcome our "childish" proclivities. By sanctioning abortion as a family planning policy, Obama has demonstrated some confusion about what constitutes personal "responsibility" as well as ignorance about what it means to grow up.
Second, in light of our frightening national debt and in a time of serious economic hardship what the heck does Obama think he's doing by signing an order that siphons off American dollars to fund abortions in other countries? Just what part of the "national interest" is being served here? His move is purely ideological -- a bone tossed out to his radical base -- but is this the kind of "change" we're supposed to embrace?
Third, so far there has been a deafening silence from conservative politicians in Washington. To prevent Obama from quietly undermining certain core American values conservative politicians need to start raising their voices and staring our new president down over issues like this. The public, and any resurgent conservative movement, can only benefit by seeing our representatives in congress defending, in the face of Obama's empty platitudes, innocent life, the American taxpayer, and the true meaning of responsibility.
