Kaiser Daily Report
Monday, April 30, 2001
Actions on Reproductive Health
Initiatives in Bush's First 100 Days

 In his first 100 days in office, marked officially yesterday, President Bush "fought" against abortion, tackling a "bullishly conservative agenda" that "belied his whisker-thin election victory and his party's fragile hold on Congress" -- and "none of it should have been a surprise," the Associated Press reports (Fournier, Associated Press, 4/29). The San Francisco Chronicle reports that "[a]lmost no area" of policy, including abortion, "has been free from Bush's conservative imprint." Bush said on Saturday during his weekly radio address, "In nearly 100 days, we have made a good start. But it's only a start. Now we need to turn a good start and good spirit into good laws" (Sandalow, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/29). During his election campaign, Bush "clearly staked out" an "antiabortion position," and on Jan. 22 -- his first full day in office -- he signed an executive order reinstating the "Mexico City policy," or restrictions on federal funding for international family planning organizations that use their own funds to provide or promote abortion. According to the Associated Press, Bush's decision to "move so quickly to please conservatives ... was a surprise" (Associated Press, 4/29). The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the move "trigger[ed] a new round in the abortion debate" (Herman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/29). Bush, who has "consistently described himself as a 'compassionate conservative,'" has "already ... received criticism" for his position on abortion and reproductive rights, Parade reports (Rader, Parade, 4/29). In response to Bush's abortion stance, abortion-rights and women's groups have launched new fundraising, advertising and membership campaigns (McFeatters, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/29). Still, the Associated Press reports that moving forward, Bush will "seek to soften his own image by positioning himself closer to the political center" through a policy of "near-silence" on abortion" (Lindlaw, Associated Press, 4/27). In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live" Friday, Vice President Dick Cheney said that while Bush supports the "pro-life position," he has "made it clear as well ... that we hope to be able to reach across the aisle here and try to reduce the incidence of abortion." Cheney added, "[T]hose who are pro-life, as well as those who are pro-choice, ought to be able to come together in certain areas" (CNN, "Larry King Live," 4/27).

The Bush Files: Day 100

In addition to his move on international family planning on his first day in office, Bush's major actions on reproductive health policy in his first 100 days include:

*Cabinet appointments: "Signs of backlash popped up" after Bush appointed Attorney General John Ashcroft, an "antiabortion crusader," the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (Gibson, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 4/29). Ashcroft, who is one of the nation's "most fervent" opponents to abortion, has cast his opposition as a "religious and moral imperative," but said repeatedly in his confirmation hearings that he would uphold Roe v. Wade as "the law of the land" (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 1/9). In addition, Bush's appointment of HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson angered abortion-rights groups. As governor of Wisconsin, Thompson enacted legislation to block insurance coverage for abortion, opposed buffer zones for abortion clinics and supported a parental consent bill, a 24-hour waiting period and a ban on late-term abortions. Thompson's nomination was also troubling to some abortion-rights opponents due to his support for stem cell research (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 12/22/00).

*Judicial nominees: Bush also abolished the American Bar Association's role in screening federal judicial nominees. According to a White House letter, the ABA's "special role" in evaluating judicial candidates was "not appropriate," pointing out that the group "takes public positions on divisive political, legal and social issues that come before the courts," including support for abortion rights (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 3/23);

*White House programs: Bush introduced his faith-based initiative, which would allow religious groups to compete with secular organizations for federal funding to provide social services. In a meeting with Catholic leaders in February, Bush said that the plan may help "change the culture" in the United States and buoy the antiabortion position (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/1).

*White House Women's Office: Bush "quietly closed" the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach, which served as a liaison between the administration and women's groups on issues such as abortion and reproductive health, prompting "outrage" from women's groups (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 3/30).

*Stem cell research: During his first month in office, Bush ordered a review of NIH guidelines that currently allow federal funding of embryonic stem cell research when private firms provide the cells. A decision on whether to continue this policy is expected by June (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 4/26);

*Mifepristone: In January, Thompson said that he "intended to look into the safety of mifepristone," and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said that the administration would review the FDA's approval of the drug (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 1/29);

*Budget allocations: In his FY 2002 budget, Bush proposed eliminating a requirement that federal employees' health insurance cover a broad range of contraceptives (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 4/12). Bush's budget also would boost funding for the Community-Based Abstinence Education program -- an initiative that provides support for public and private groups to develop abstinence education programs for children ages 12 to 18 -- by $10 million to $30 million. The budget provides no additional funds for Title X, the national family planning program, but increased funding for the HHS Office on Women's Health (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 4/10);

*Medical privacy rule: Bush also approved a Clinton administration patient privacy regulation, though Thompson said that HHS will "make it clear through guidelines or recommended modifications that ... parents will have access to information about the health and well-being of their children, including information about mental health, substance abuse or abortion" (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 4/13).

Public Opinion

A number of newspapers and pundits around the nation have also addressed Bush's moves on reproductive health policy during his first 100 days in office. A sampling of some of the editorials and opinion pieces appears below.

*New America Foundation fellow Eric Cohen: In a Los Angeles Times opinion piece, Cohen maintains that while Bush has not put abortion at the "center of his agenda," he has "held firm where he has been tested" -- supporting the position of "moral conservatives." He adds, however, that Bush's position on abortion-related issues "remains an open question," concluding that the "first real test will come when Bush has to make his first appointment to the Supreme Court" (Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 4/29);

*San Francisco Chronicle: According to a Chronicle editorial, Bush has governed "with a conservative ideology that has emerged in far harsher relief than it did during the 2000 campaign." The editorial concludes, Americans can "start worrying about the specter of a continued assault on policy principles" -- such as abortion rights -- "that had become taken for granted in this country" (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/29);

*Columnist George Will: In a Washington Post opinion piece, Will writes, "We have been warned that the vault of the heavens would crack, and the veil of the temple would be rent in twain, if 'the religious right' came to power. Note the lack of cracking and renting" (Will, Washington Post, 4/29);

*New York Times: A New York Times editorial maintains that in Bush's "placid" first 100 days in office, a "deep-rooted, unnuanced and sometimes almost truculent conservatism" has emerged from a politician "once regarded ... as a moderate." On abortion, the editorial points out that Bush "seems bent on producing a Supreme Court that will overturn Roe v. Wade and lower courts that enhance states' rights at the expense of federal protections" (New York Times, 4/29).