Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump signed his first executive order this afternoon, reinstating the Mexico City Policy. Holding to his campaign promise to be pro-life, Trump ordered a stop to all government funding to international organizations that provide abortion.
The Mexico City Policy was first put in place by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Both President George H. W. Bush and President George W. Bush continued this policy during their administrations, while Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama rescinded it.
News outlets like Huffington Post and the Hollywood Life were outraged by the decision, claiming citizens “need to set their clocks back 300 years” and that abortions are a vital form of healthcare.
Pro-life leaders such as ERLC President Russell Moore praised the move.
“The usage of taxpayer money to fund abortions is and always has been morally repugnant, and I applaud President Trump’s decision to reinstate the Mexico City Policy,” said Moore in a press release. “This is a welcome step in the right direction, and my hope is that the President will continue to defend human dignity and and hold the predatory abortion industry accountable.”
For many conservatives, this move remains controversial for another reason. Executive orders are hotly contested forms of legislation with many Republicans feeling that these bills, made infamous during the Obama administration, are not legal.
Most conservatives would agree that although the socially conservative outcome is favorable, the means through which it has been achieved are less-than ideal.
With such a dramatic move on Trump’s first work day in office, it will be interesting to see what the rest of the week holds.
