by Patrick Appel
Yesterday was the anniversary of Roe. Amy Sullivan notices that Obama didn't repeal the Mexico City Policy, the "ban on federal money to NGOs that provide abortions abroad." Repealing the ban was one of Bill Clinton's first acts as president and reinstating the ban was one of Bush's. Sullivan speculates:
Everyone knows he still plans on repealing the ban. But it was an interesting and important decision not to make that move on such a politically-charged day. Clinton entered the White House having tempered the skepticism of many pro-life voters with his insistence that abortion should be "safe, legal, and rare." His decision to make repealing the Mexico City ban one of his very first acts in office led many to wonder if the slogan was just that--a slogan. I suspect that when Obama does issue the executive order regarding the Mexico City policy, it will be followed by concrete action to support abortion reduction.