More on the demise of the Mexico City policy.

Additional stuff from Breitbart.com

Obama order ends 'unwarranted' restrictions on abortion

President Barack Obama said the eight-year ban he lifted Friday on US funding to family planning groups abroad that counseled abortion was "unnecessarily broad and unwarranted" and had become too politicized an issue.

Shortly after he signed an executive order cancelling the restrictions, on the third full day of his presidency, Obama said in a statement the ban had "undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries.

"For these reasons, it is right for us to rescind this policy and restore critical efforts to protect and empower women and promote global economic development."

The so-called "global gag rule," also known as the Mexico City Policy, cut off US funding to overseas family planning clinics which provide any abortion services whatsoever, from the operation itself to counseling, referrals or post-abortion services.

First introduced by Republican president Ronald Reagan in 1984, it has been repeatedly overturned by Democratic administrations and then reintroduced by the Republicans.

Obama's action overturned the orders of president George W. Bush, who when he came into office in 2001 immediately froze funds to many family planning groups working overseas.

"It is clear that the provisions of the Mexico City Policy are unnecessarily broad and unwarranted under current law, and for the past eight years, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries," Obama said in his statement. ("Clear?" What's the proof?)

For too long, he added, the ban "has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of a back and forth debate that has served only to divide us.

"I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate." (Anyone else's ears pricking up at this one? Is this just for the Mexico City Policy or is it concerning abortion in general?)

He said his cabinet in the coming weeks would launch "a fresh conversation on family planning, working to find areas of common ground to best meet the needs of women and families at home and around the world." ("...at home and around the world...", Not good folks. It mentions "the coming weeks." So much for his stated endorsement of FOCA being just hot air on the campaign trail as many "Catholics" claimed.)

By resuming funding to the UN Population Fund, he said, "the US will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries." (Uganda had a sixty percent drop in HIV/AIDS by preaching abstinence. Bet that won't be funded though.)