Washington- Congressman Joe Pitts (PA-16), Chairman of the House Values Action Team, today expressed his extreme disappointment in President Obama’s decision to rescind the Mexico City Policy.  President Obama overturned the Executive Order that had been reinstated by President Bush which banned federal family planning funding for groups that provide abortions.
 
“This move runs counter to all of President Obama’s rhetoric on finding center ground and working toward political compromise.  Instead, in just his first full week in office, Obama has opened the floodgates for millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money to be spent by groups that perform and promote abortions worldwide.

“With all of the very serious issues facing our nation, including an economy in serious trouble, I think this move is nothing more than payback to the pro-abortion special interests that helped get Obama elected.  This was not an act that represents the will of the majority of Americans, but rather an ideological minority intent on exporting an agenda of abortion throughout the world.”

Background

The Mexico City Policy was first implemented by President Reagan, rescinded by President Clinton and reinstated by President Bush.  The policy requires that foreign nongovernmental organizations agree as a condition of receipt of Federal funds for family planning activities that the organization will neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.
 
The Mexico City Policy ensures that U.S. bilateral family planning programs are not conduits for exporting abortion internationally.  Without the Mexico City Policy, U.S. taxpayer dollars spent for family planning contracts will line the pockets of foreign organizations that promote and provide abortion. Foreign NGOs that actively promote or provide abortion are now eligible for U.S. taxpayer funds.

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