President Barack Obama on Friday struck down the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information — an inflammatory policy that has bounced in and out of law for the past quarter-century.
The policy, known to progressives as the global gag rule, known to conservatives as the Mexico City policy, was an impediment to providing effective public health aid worldwide. Obama was right to reverse this policy in his first week. It needlessly forced health care organizations to make a dangerous choice between turning away the prospect of American aid dollars or failing to provide procedures or information to women, even to prevent life-threatening risk and even for victims of rape and incest.
Conservative reactions below the fold...
"I have long supported the Mexico City Policy and believe this administration's decision to be counter to our nation's interests," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Um, actually, shouldn't our nation's interests include spending our resources in an effective manner? The gag rule, cuts the efficiency of our aid dollars by disqualifying some of the most effective women's health organizations. From the Guardian:
The global gag rule was also devastating for non-governmental organisations working on women's health and HIV-Aids. International Planned Parenthood lost more than $100m (£72.7m) funding during the Bush years.
Conservatives are always complaining about funding for foreign aid, you would guess that they would at least want us to spend it effectively.
But there was a more specific argument repeated today:
"... this presidential directive forces taxpayers to subsidize abortions overseas — something no American should be required by government to do," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., called it "morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans to promote abortion around the world."
Well, is it morally wrong to take my tax dollars to pay for a war and occupation that I didn't support because I was able to realize its pointlessness?
Is it morally wrong to take such a freakin' large portion of my taxes to build and develop weapons of mass destruction when we are already the strongest global military?
Is it morally wrong to take my tax dollars to imprison and harden countless nonviolent drug offenders, even though I abhor the policy and think drug offenders should be treated and not punished?
Is it morally wrong to take my tax dollars and then give them back to upper class in exorbitant tax cuts?
No. Sadly, none of that was morally wrong. It was democracy. Our country elected (sort of) a president and a congress that chose to spend my, and your, tax dollars on failed, corrupt policies. That's why America threw them out and eventually threw the Dems. back into power.
So, Mike Pence, John Boehner, and the rest- quit whining because elections have consequences. (I've been waiting a few years to say that!)