More Stupid People

Further reading of NS no. 2468* on the train to work this afternoon revealed something which may have visibly disgusted me ie. Another commuter may have noticed a look on my face.

Part of the Reagan administration (Republican) in 1984 was to fully withdraw aid/funding from any foreign non-government organization that:

Provided abortions
Counseled about abortion
Advocated abortion
Or was affiliated with any other organization that did any of the above.

When the Clinton administration came to be one of the first acts was to suspend these cuts. Bush Jnr reinstated them.

As the article went on to mention, for many women and children in Africa, family clinics are the only place where they will receive healthcare. Sometimes the same clinic providing abortion counseling will help with child healthcare, parental support, vaccinations and anti-malarials. Provision of condoms and contraceptive drugs has also been affected. This would result in more unwanted pregnancies. There is usually a good reason why a pregnancy is unwanted. In the third world it is usually because it would be detrimental to the mother’s health and perhaps cost her life.

Last year Bush did allow some funding to go back into some of the blacklisted agencies, in the fight against HIV. However ‘US AID-donated condoms have been cut off to 29 of the most HIV-affected countries’**. Not happy George.

Not that he gives a stuff what anyone thinks. At least I can spread the word through my miniscule readership. I s--- you not these are the facts as read in New Scientist, a UK publication. Would Scientific American have a cover story ‘Are you Listening America?’.? Probably not.

Yes there’s always something from NS I can add to a conversation that makes me look well read ;)

*I get mine at my local public library

**Adrienne Germain, president of the International Women’s Health Coalition