Obama praises Roe decision on anniversary
January 23, 2009
(CWN) President Barack Obama yesterday praised Roe v. Wade, the 1973 US Supreme Court decision that struck down laws protecting unborn human life in all 50 states. The full text of his statement follows.
On the 36th anniversary of I>Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere
Obama to reverse Mexico City Policy today
January 23, 2009
(CWN) President Barack Obama will sign an executive order today reversing the Mexico City Policy instituted by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Despite widespread media predictions, President Obama did not reverse the Mexico City Policy yesterday, the anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. President Bill Clinton had rescinded the policy on January 22, 1993; President George W. Bush had restored the policy on January 22, 2001.
Cardinal Francis George noted in a recent letter to the president, “The Mexico City Policy, first established in 1984, has wrongly been attacked as a restriction on foreign aid for family planning. In fact, it has not reduced such aid at all, but has ensured that family planning funds are not diverted to organizations dedicated to performing and promoting abortions instead of reducing them. Once the clear line between family planning and abortion is erased, the idea of using family planning to reduce abortions becomes meaningless, and abortion tends to replace contraception as the means for reducing family size. A shift toward promoting abortion in developing nations would also increase distrust of the United States in these nations, whose values and culture often reject abortion, at a time when we need their trust and respect.”
Click to view site for the Saint Michael Prayer Campaign for the Conversion of Abortionists
No comments:
Post a Comment