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Obama signs executive order on abortion out of sight of media glare

03/24/2010 4:56 pm 0 comments

Source: Michael D. Shear/The Washington Post

There were no glaring lights or TV cameras when President Obama signed an executive order this afternoon affirming the continuing ban on federal funding for abortion. No East Room speeches. Not even a photo op handshake.

But the 876-word, two-page document may be among the most important of his presidency. The carefully-negotiated document assured passage of his health care legislation by gaining a handful of crucial pro-life votes without shedding pro-choice ones.

“The executive order found a sweet spot, which I’m surprised existed,” said William Galston of the Brookings Institution. “Something that didn’t send the base of the party into a tizzy but seems to have satisfied a very important minority within the party. It was the model of win-win pragmatism.”

A strict reading of the order suggests that it does little more than restate the existing prohibition on abortion funding, known as the Hyde amendment, and make sure that government officials “are aware of their responsibilities, new and old.”

To read this article in its entirety visit The Washington Post.

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