House Appropriations Committee Passes Bill Allowing Contraceptive Donations To International Groups Barred From Funding

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday by voice vote approved a foreign aid spending bill that would allow the federal government to give contraceptives but not money to international groups barred from receiving U.S. aid because of their abortion policies, the AP/Forbes reports (Taylor, AP/Forbes, 6/13).

The so-called "Mexico City" policy bars U.S. funding from going to international groups that support abortion, even with their own money, through direct services, counseling or lobbying activities. The policy was originally implemented by former President Reagan at a population conference in Mexico City in 1984, removed by former President Clinton and reinstated by President Bush during the first days of his presidency. Bush in September 2003 issued an executive order that prevents the State Department from giving family planning grants to international groups that provide abortion-related counseling.

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, recently said the legislation leaves the Mexico City policy intact, but Republicans disagreed and cited a threat by Bush to veto legislation that would change current abortion-related policies and laws. Bush last month in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he will veto any legislation that would weaken federal policies or laws on abortion, including measures that would "allow taxpayer dollars to be used for the destruction of human life" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/6).

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) said the amended Mexico City policy "is a guaranteed veto if it stays in." Lowey said the policy retains all the current prohibitions on abortion and "simply allows for the provision of lifesaving contraceptives" (Kivlan, CongressDaily, 6/13).

The provisions included in the $34.2 billion spending bill for fiscal year 2008 must still be debated by the full House and Senate, Reuters reports (Cowan, Reuters, 6/12).

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