Asa Hutchinson: “2 days after his 1993 swearing-in ceremony, President Clinton submitted an Executive order repealing the Mexico City…”

“2 days after his 1993 swearing-in ceremony, President Clinton submitted an Executive order repealing the Mexico City policy. This repeal now allows American taxpayer funds to be given to the United Nations planning agency in support of coercive abortions and involuntary sterilization, commonly practiced in places like China, a position which is completely contrary to the desires of the American people. I sincerely consider these practices of involuntary sterilization and coercive abortion to be well outside the boundaries of what can be legitimately called family planning. Most organizations agreed to the terms of the Mexico City policy, even giving up their pro-abortion activities in some cases, in order to receive U.S. funds. It did not decrease by even 1 penny the amount of funding for international population control assistance programs. Rather, it ensured that family planning dollars were sent to organizations which neither promoted nor performed abortion as a method of family planning. Furthermore, since 1973, when Congress passed the Helms amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, Federal law has prohibited direct payment of most abortion procedures with U.S. foreign aid funds.”