Obama Ends Ban On U.S. Funds To Aid Abortions

The International Herald Tribune reports that "President Barack Obama has signed an executive order ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option. Obama signed it quietly, without coverage by the media, late on Friday afternoon, a contrast to the midday signings with fanfare of executive orders on other subjects earlier in the week." Hmm, I wonder why Obama would sign such an order without the fanfare? Could the reason Obama would sign this order in relative secret be that he realizes that most Americans do not want to fund abortion overseas?

The International Herald Tribune further explains that the ban which George W. Bush had reinstituted stopped "U.S. taxpayer money, usually in the form of U.S. Agency for International Development funds, from going to international family planning groups that either offer abortions or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion." For some history on this, the policy was first put in place by Ronald Reagan, but was taken off the books by Bill Clinton in 1993. George W. Bush reinstituted the executive order as one of his first moves as president. Obama has made sure to do away with Bush's executive order as one of his first moves as the new president. I think it speaks volumes about the difference between modern Republican and Democrat presidents that Republicans have stopped federal taxpayer funding for abortion overseas while Democrats have done just the opposite.