Abortion Politics Could Limit Bush AIDS Plan Scope
Thu February 20, 2003 05:28 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The Bush administration is considering a plan that would prohibit AIDS funding to foreign non-government organizations (NGOs) that do not separate their HIV/AIDS programs from family planning services that include abortion counseling or procedures, according to a leaked State Department memorandum.
Under the proposed plan, only foreign NGOs that do not offer abortion services or those that offer separate abortion services would be eligible for new AIDS funds recently proposed by the Bush administration, according to a letter dated February 11, 2003.
This policy is problematic because the vast majority of organizations in Africa and elsewhere have integrated services, the Global AIDS Alliance (GAA), a non-partisan advocacy group, said in a statement Wednesday. Combining services is more cost-effective than maintaining separate services and better serves the needs of women, the group notes.
According to the GAA statement, this is the first time that the "Mexico City Policy" restrictions have been applied to HIV/AIDS programs.
The Mexico City Policy bars US funding of international groups that use non-US funds to perform or advocate for abortion, and has typically been used when it comes to funding for international family planning organizations.
The policy, so named because President Ronald Reagan announced it during a United Nations population conference in Mexico City in 1984, was in effect until 1993, when President Bill Clinton revoked it on his second full day in office. It was briefly in effect again in 1999 after Clinton and the Republican Congress fought over paying back dues to the UN, then fully restored by President Bush on the first business day of his presidency in January.
"It is ludicrous to expect that organizations in Africa can or should establish separate HIV/AIDS programs in order to receive US funds," Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the GAA, said. "These restrictions will hamper the rapid expansion of global AIDS programs," he added.
"From a public health perspective, the best approach is to fully integrate AIDS programs into family planning programs, not separate them," Zeitz said. "The restrictions represent a Washington-imposed mandate that's unrealistic and costly in the African context."
When contacted by Reuters Health, no one from the State Department was available for comment.
Thu February 20, 2003 05:28 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The Bush administration is considering a plan that would prohibit AIDS funding to foreign non-government organizations (NGOs) that do not separate their HIV/AIDS programs from family planning services that include abortion counseling or procedures, according to a leaked State Department memorandum.
Under the proposed plan, only foreign NGOs that do not offer abortion services or those that offer separate abortion services would be eligible for new AIDS funds recently proposed by the Bush administration, according to a letter dated February 11, 2003.
This policy is problematic because the vast majority of organizations in Africa and elsewhere have integrated services, the Global AIDS Alliance (GAA), a non-partisan advocacy group, said in a statement Wednesday. Combining services is more cost-effective than maintaining separate services and better serves the needs of women, the group notes.
According to the GAA statement, this is the first time that the "Mexico City Policy" restrictions have been applied to HIV/AIDS programs.
The Mexico City Policy bars US funding of international groups that use non-US funds to perform or advocate for abortion, and has typically been used when it comes to funding for international family planning organizations.
The policy, so named because President Ronald Reagan announced it during a United Nations population conference in Mexico City in 1984, was in effect until 1993, when President Bill Clinton revoked it on his second full day in office. It was briefly in effect again in 1999 after Clinton and the Republican Congress fought over paying back dues to the UN, then fully restored by President Bush on the first business day of his presidency in January.
"It is ludicrous to expect that organizations in Africa can or should establish separate HIV/AIDS programs in order to receive US funds," Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the GAA, said. "These restrictions will hamper the rapid expansion of global AIDS programs," he added.
"From a public health perspective, the best approach is to fully integrate AIDS programs into family planning programs, not separate them," Zeitz said. "The restrictions represent a Washington-imposed mandate that's unrealistic and costly in the African context."
When contacted by Reuters Health, no one from the State Department was available for comment.