Harry's Blog

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7847651.stm

It looks like new US president Barack Obama is off to a great start already. He's revoked the ridiculous, and one could argue evil, gag rule which blackmailed aid organisations into not mentioning abortion if they wanted funding from the US.

This rule, set up under several Republican administration, caused countless suffering across the globe and deprived those aid agencies who saw freedom of speech as a value worth preserving of much needed money.

The gag rule wasn't just about preventing abortion. What was so wrong about this policy was that it forbade organisations from even discussing the issue within the context of family planning education for fear of funding being withdrawn. The policy denied aid organisations overseas the freedoms of expression that are enshrined in the US constitution.

Thankfully though now it has been repealed again.