THE Seahawk/March 27, ZUO ^
3
Abortion policy limits foreign aid
Sophomore cleanup
Saturday
The Sophomore Class of 2003 is
hosting a Trash-a-Thon, Saturday at
the Warwick Center. The project
will focus on picking up trash in
downtown Wilmington and on
Masonboro Island. In addition, lo
cal businesses are being asked to
donate money, which will be pre
sented to Lower Cape Fear Hospice.
For more information, contact Crisp
McDonald at
FCM1867@uncwil.edu
Police dog demonstra*
tion tomorrow
Crossroads will sponsor a dem
onstration of the role of police dogs
and horses by the Wilmington Po
lice Department tomorrow from 11
a.m. until 1 p.m. in front of Warwick
Center. The event is designed to
give students an understanding of
how dogs assist the police. Pizza
and drinks will be provided on a
first-come-first-serve basis.
Chancellor’s office
hours tomorrow
Chancellor Leutze will hold of
fice hours for students tomorrow
from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m.
College Democrats and
Republicans to debate
College Democrats and College
Republicans will debate the issues
of President Bush's tax plan, na
tional missile defense and abortion
on Thursday, April 5 at 6 p.m. The
debate will take place at Center
Stage in the Warwick Center and
will include questions from the au
dience. Lloyd Jones, associate pro
fessor of political science, will mod
erate the event. For more
information, call John Andrew
Petrequin at 962-5928.
Lecture on Moratorium
of death penalty
James Megivern, professor of
philosophy and religion, will
present “The Death Penalty in
Christian History,” Wednesday,
April 4, in Cameron Auditorium at
7:30 p.m.
Heather Grady
Assistant News Editor
A recent presidential order, known as
the “Global Gag Policy,” will stop Ameri
can funding to foreign governments and
muhilateral organizations for providing
abortions or lobbying to change abortion
laws in countries where the practice is re
stricted. It also pulls funding plans from
any organization that discusses abortion
with patients, according to reports from
Time.
The policy is very controversial and has
been criticized extensively by opponents.
Those against the policy say it is counter
productive and will actually increase abor
tion numbers.
Opponents of the plan also expect it to
cause a large decline in the health of poor
women overseas and increased deaths as
well. In addition to providing abortions,
many of the 450 organizations affected by
the decision are the only source many poor
women have to gain contraception, infor
mation, educational materials, general
health services and family planning ser
vices.
“It is my belief that more women wiU
end up having more abortions [as a result
of the global gag rule] and that most who
do, being poor women who can’t afford
proper medical attention, will result in
having ‘coat hanger’ abortions,” said
Michele Lefler, leader of Women Act in
Liberation, a UNCW women’s organiza
tion.
The policy, then known as the Mexico
City Provision, was first implemented dur
ing the presidency of Ronald Reagan and
was revoked by Bill Clinton soon after his
arrival in the White House in 1993.
During 1999, pro-life advocates in
Congress attached the gag rule to the for
eign appropriations bill as a rider to other
legislation detailing repayment of debts to
the United Nations. In October, Clinton
eliminated the policy; how
ever, pro-life supporters in
Congress then attached a
piece of legislation that pre
vented funds from being
provided to overseas orga
nizations until February 15.
Many Christian Conser
vative organizations ap
plauded Bush’s reinstate
ment of the policy as a
strong leadership stance on
abortion.
“President Bush has
clearly demonstrated today
that he is a man of moral
coirage. We are pleased to
see that the president’s
compassion encompasses the most de
fenseless among us—our unborn chil
dren,” said Roberta Combs, executive di
rector of the Christian Coalition, in a press
release.
Other opponents feel that Bush is us
ing the policy as a favor to the Christian
Conservatives in the event that he does
not overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade
decision of 1973, which legalized abor
tion in America. Some political analysts
speculate he will not be successful.
“Thousands of women will die each
year from illegal abortion because Presi
dent Bush, who lost the popular vote,
needs to curry favor with the religious
right, ft is a malicious affront to women
to gag advocates for their health on the
anniversary of Roe v. Wade,” said Janet
Benshoof, president of the Center for Re
productive Law and Policy (CRLP), in a
press release. CRLP is an international
legal advocacy organization that works to
support women’s rights.
Others object because the U.S. is not
paying for foreign abortions or promotion
of them according to CRLP sources.
Therefore, by taking away necessary fund
ing to organizations that pay for the pro
cess themselves, Christian Conservative
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Bush has made recent efforts to curtail for
eign aid that would go toward abortions.
values are being superimposed on other
countries. The policy would rely on
America’s checkbook to dictate such val
ues, opponents to the policy say.
“The big thing we want people to un
derstand is that what the (gag rule) does is
limit what other countries can do with their
money. We feel it eliminates the ability of
a women to make an informed decision
because she is not getting all the informa
tion she needs,” said Dana Blackman, di
rector of education for Planned Parent
hood in North Carolina.
“It is upsetting to see (Bush).. .cutting
off international aid and abeady hurting
our global relation. To cut American aid
completely for health care and services
overseas is a decision with not too much
thought behind it,” said Adrien Lopez,
leader of P.E.A.C.E (People for Education
and Active Commitment to Equality) at
UNCW.
Many proponents of the policy rebut
this idea by focusing on the goal of pro
tection rather than restriction.
“As Americans, we have a rich tradi
tion of reaching out to those in need. I can’t
think of a group more in need of our com
passion and support than those waiting to
be bom,” Combs said.
Other proponents of the policy feel that
it is wrong to ask taxpayers to pay for any
policy that conflicts with their own set of
morals.
“The issue for pro-lifers is not so much
if the gag rule will be effective but the very
premise of behind the idea of using tax
payer money to support overseas abor
tions, and the proliferation of ideas con
trary to their own. Thomas Jefferson said
that it is sinful and tyrannical to force a
man to fund ideas that are despicable to
him. Such is the case here. Should the
government use taxpayer money to sup
port such things? I would say no, and I
fail to see how this is even an abortion
issue,” said John Kaiser, leader of the cam
pus conservative leadership group. “The
issue strikes me as economic rather than
reproductive. This ‘gag rule’ does not out
law abortion, it only serves to end the tyr
anny of forcing pro-life citizens to pay for
overseas abortions and information.”
799-2667