Future of Mexico City Policy a matter of life and death
- Oct 30, 2007 - comment
For nearly 35 years, pro-life Americans have been grieved by the availability of abortion on demand, ushered in by the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. Those committed to protecting the unborn take some small comfort in the fact that at present America is prevented from exporting that outcome of the culture of death abroad. Yet the government policy that prevents taxpayer dollars from funding abortion providers overseas, the Mexico City Policy, is once again threatened.
The policy mandates that foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must agree as a condition for receiving federal dollars not to promote or perform abortions.
The policy was first instituted by President Reagan in 1984 and upheld under George H.W. Bush’s presidency. Bill Clinton rescinded the policy upon taking office in 1993; George W. Bush, demonstrating his commitment to the life of unborn children in one of his first official acts in office, reinstated the policy.
Now some in Congress are looking to eliminate the policy, which has been attached each year to an annual appropriations bill. Both the House and the Senate have passed versions of the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill with language that undermines or guts the Mexico City Policy. The Senate bill includes an amendment offered by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that scraps the policy altogether, opening up overseas NGOs that advocate or perform abortions to receive federal dollars. In the House, an amendment by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) was adopted that allows in-kind contributions of valuable contraceptive commodities to flow freely to NGOs that encourage or perform abortions.
Discussion over the future of the Mexico City Policy continues, as the two chambers will soon iron out the differences between the two bills. The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing October 31 on the policy. This marks the House’s first hearing on a bill dealing with the issue of abortion this Congress.
The Democrat-led committee has chosen a skewed panel of witnesses: three witnesses who oppose the Mexico City Policy and only one pro-life witness. One testifier hails from Planned Parenthood in Ghana; a second is from the Nigerian office of Ipas, which describes itself as “an international organization that works around the world to increase women’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.” The committee also has refused to hear from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which supports the policy.
When the House and Senate settle on a final version of the appropriations bill, the pro-choice bloc will likely need support from more than just a simple majority in Congress to overthrow the policy that President Clinton scratched from the books with the stroke of a pen. In June, President Bush announced he plans to veto the appropriations bill if it contains language that weakens the Mexico City Policy. Still, many in Congress feel so strongly about broadening access to abortion overseas that they are willing to jeopardize one of 12 annual appropriations bills that Congress must pass.
President Bush and members of Congress need to hear from you on this crucial pro-life legislation. If you do not think the government should fund foreign organizations that promote or perform abortions, tell your senators and congressman to vote “No” on the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill if it undermines the Mexico City Policy. Also, tell President Bush that you support his commitment to veto the bill if it contains language that jeopardizes the lives of unborn children.
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