Bishops urge Congress to continue to support Mexico City policy

Published: 2007-11-02

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops ran ads in four publications on Capitol Hill Oct. 30 and 31 to urge members of Congress to continue to support the so-called Mexico City policy, which does not allow federal funds to go to agencies that perform and promote abortion as a family planning method in developing countries. The full-page ads, paid for by a grant from the Knights of Columbus, appeared in Roll Call, The Hill, CQ Daily and Congress Daily AM. They coincided with a hearing held Oct. 31 by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to look into the policy's "impact on family planning and reproductive health." The Mexico City policy, instituted in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, was so named because it was announced at the U.N. International Conference on Population held that year in Mexico City. It was rescinded by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2001 in one of his first acts as president. The policy is "currently under attack," according to a Nov. 1 USCCB release about the ads.

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