Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Los Angeles Times - Saturday, February 15, 2003
Edwin Chen, Los Angeles Times
The only restriction will be that such agencies must use the funds for treating people with AIDS, according to a senior administration official who requested anonymity.
"The president views this as a health care issue," the official said.
"Any agency that provides treatment for AIDS will get the money -- as long as none of the funds are used for family planning purposes or for abortions -- except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger," said another senior White House aide, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Nevertheless, Bush's decision is likely to infuriate abortion opponents, who constitute a solid core of his political constituency.
The funding decision marks a shift in position for Bush because just days after taking office, he issued an order barring any U.S. money to international groups that use their own funds to support abortion -- either through performing surgery, counseling on abortion as a family-planning option or lobbying foreign governments on abortion policy.
By reinstating the so-called "Mexico City policy" restrictions that his father as well as President Ronald Reagan had instituted before him, Bush reversed the Clinton administration's position on unrestricted family-planning aid overseas.
The Mexico City policy is so named because it was announced by Reagan at a 1984 population conference in that city.
Bush's policy shift may be significant because in many African and Caribbean nations, family planning services and AIDS assistance often are provided by a single agency; thus a flat-out ban on funding to such groups could have proved counterproductive if Bush wants his high-profile initiative to be effective.
In his Jan. 28 State of the Union address, Bush called the AIDS pandemic in Africa and the Caribbean "a severe and urgent crisis" and described his surprise initiative as "a work of mercy beyond all current international efforts."
The White House said that the $15 billion in funding over five years would prevent 7 million new infections and treat 2 million HIV-infected people by providing advanced antiretroviral treatment on a large scale in the poorest, most afflicted countries.
Bush's initiative also would involve large-scale prevention efforts, including voluntary testing and counseling.
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