Obama helps women's rights

Officials: Obama to reverse abortion policy

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that promote or perform abortions, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

The move, long expected in the Democratic president's first week in office, will be welcomed by liberals and criticized by abortion rights foes.

The policy bans 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. It is also known as the "global gag rule," because it prohibits taxpayer funding for groups that even talk about abortion if there is an unplanned pregnancy.

Also known as the "Mexico City policy," it has been reinstated and then reversed by Republican and Democratic presidents since GOP President Ronald Reagan established it in 1984. President Bill Clinton ended the ban in 1993, but President George W. Bush re-instituted it in 2001 as one of his first acts in office.

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What an absurd, backwards rule! WTF is wrong with these scumbag repugs who want to punish women? Makes sense that it was Reagan who started this idiocy.
Hopefully, we will now be on the road to helping women throughout the world instead of hindering them.
Thank goodness that Obama is a reasonable human being and not a crazed, neanderthal misogynist.