President Obama Funds Overseas Abortions

A provision of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 prohibits the use of federal funds "to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning, or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions." In what has come to be called the "Mexico City Policy," President Reagan instructed the US Agency for International Development to comply with this statutory directive in 1984. President Clinton rescinded the policy, but President George W. Bush reinstated it.

Yesterday, President Obama again rescinded the Mexico City Policy, thereby allowing nongovernmental organizations working overseas to encourage women to have abortions and to lobby foreign governments to eliminate legal protections of unborn children.

Millions of Americans don't want their tax dollars used to facilitate the killing of babies in their mothers' wombs. President Obama subordinated those Americans' desires to the objectives of the pro-abortion organizations. This is not an auspicious beginning for a president whom many thought (erroneously, in my view) would be comparatively moderate on sanctity of life issues.

FRC's comment is here. National Right to Life comments here. US Conference of Catholic Bishops comments here.

Lawyers Christian Fellowship Guidance on UK Sexual Orientation Regulations

This weekend The Lawyers Christian Fellowship (LCF) and Christian Concern for Our Nation (CCFON) released its Guidance document on the new Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs) that came into effect today, April 30, 2007, in England, Wales, and Scotland.

A similar law went into effect in Northern Ireland on January 1, 2007.

Christian Today has the news story.

The Guidance provides general recommendations for Christians who are now subject to this law. For example, it warns that that even though the intent of the law was not to burden the freedom of speech i.e. on religion, there are concerns because of the "poor drafting of the law." For example, "it would technically be illegal for a vicar to use the illustration that 'it is better to follow the Bible’s teaching and risk being sued than to be complicit in sin by printing leaflets promoting gay pride.'"

Previously, LCF published a detailed list of Frequently Asked Questions on the SORs in March. Obviously at least some of the FAQ is obsolete because it contemplates the possibility that the SORs for England, Wales, and Scotland might not be enacted.

The Lawyers Christian Fellowship (about us) is an organization of nearly 2,000 lawyers in Britain and other parts of the world, particularly East Africa. Christian Concern for our Nation (about us) is an activity of LCF's Public Policy Unit and is designed primarily as an information and news service for non-lawyers.