WASHINGTON (BP)–President George W. Bush will restore the ban on United States funds for organizations that perform or promote abortion in foreign countries, a White House official said Jan. 22, according to an Associated Press report.
The Bush official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the president would issue an executive order soon rescinding the pro-abortion policy reinstated by President Clinton two days after his first inauguration in 1993, AP reported. Clinton’s action reversed a rule, known as the Mexico City Policy, which was instituted by President Reagan in 1984.
There have been indications by the administration it also will review other abortion policies.
The news of Bush’s decision came on the same day tens of thousands of pro-lifers gathered for the annual March for Life in Washington. This year’s march came on the 28th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
In a written statement released by the White House and directed to the marchers, Bush thanked the participants for their work and said the promises of the Declaration of Independence are “for everyone, including unborn children.”
“We share a great goal — to work toward a day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law,” Bush said. “We know this will not come easily or all at once. But the goal leads us onward, to build a culture of life, affirming that every person, at every stage and season of life, is created equal in God’s image.”
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