from The Gray Area:
1/23/17:
President Trump on Monday reignited the war over abortion by signing an executive order blocking foreign aid or federal funding for international nongovernmental organizations that provide or "promote" abortions. The so-called Mexico City policy, established by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1984, blocks federal funding for international family planning charities that provide abortions or actively promote the procedure. Referred to by critics as the "global gag rule," the policy has been subjected to a game of political football over the years, with Democratic presidents rescinding the policy upon taking office, as President Obama did in 2009, and Republican presidents reinstating it.
Despite all the protests, social media hype and media outrage, this has only to do with taxpayer funding of abortion. It does not per se, defund Planned Parenthood. Congress will take that up soon. It does impact International Planned Parenthood, which operates in over 180 countries.
Ask yourself, do US taxpayers want to fund worldwide abortions? Of course, not. Recent polls actually state that Americans don't want to subsidize US abortions with their tax dollars. So this order is a statement of what the American public wants. Democrats should be for it since they are so vocal about the 'popular vote', this action is supported by most of the people.
However, this action does officially reignite the abortion debate. A pro-life President. A Republican, largely pro-life, Congress. The writing is on the wall. 2017 will see pro-life strides that haven't been possible for 40 years.
The debate involves several smaller, but important issues.
1. taxpayer funding. Today's action is the first step against that concept of publicly funded abortions.
2. Taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country. This is coming in Congress for sure. Preliminary information says this will be in the form of re-directing the funds to Women's Health Centers, so that attention to women's health can be continued, but not taxpayer funded abortions.
3. Pro-life vs pro choice, the political issue. The politics of abortion is based on the concept of relativism. What is okay for you is okay. And, what is ok for me is ok. In other words, no social or moral norms are to be imposed by a society on the individual. Makes taking personal responsibility unnecessary and that is a problem. Personal responsibility is one of the foundation concepts of Americanism. You are expected to take responsibility for your actions.
4. Pro-life vs pro-Abortion, the real issue. In the real issue, abortion is not a contraceptive choice and not a choice that most people celebrate. A few radical leftists do see abortion as contraception and celebrate it. This debate needs to be had, without the noise of the political agenda shouting it down. The choice women (and men) should be making is that choice which comes before the act that creates life. Not letting the convenience of the technology of contraception (and abortion) take that responsibility from you.
Abortions will and should be legal. They just should not be publicly funded, easily accessible and celebrated, like the removal of a splinter.