A Furor Over Abortion Aid.(George W. Bush bans U.S. aid to international organizations that promote abortions)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)

President George W. Bush still calls himself "a uniter, not a divider." But he used his first full workday in office last week to tilt toward his supporters on the religious right. His order banning U.S. aid to international organizations that conduct or "actively promote" abortions was apparently intended as a small gesture, issued during a week devoted to a high-profile plan for education reform. But U.S. pro- choice activists, caught off guard, reacted with anger--and the impact of the Bush rules could spread far overseas.

The measure had been in effect under Ronald Reagan but was repealed by Bill Clinton in 1993. Though no more than a handful of the 450 groups that receive funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are likely to be directly affected, many more worry that they will feel the pain.

Some accused the U.S. government of promoting a double standard. "What the Bush administration is saying is, 'It's fine for us American women to have safe, legal abortions, but you women in the developing world, thou shalt not have safe abortions'," said Pramilla Senanayake, assistant director general of International Planned Parenthood Federation in London. IPPF, one of the world's largest family-planning organizations, was one of two groups to lose funding under Reagan and believes its aid is once again in jeopardy. Eight of IPPF's 100-some branch offices in developing countries perform abortions or are involved in abortion advocacy. The organization had been counting on $5 million from USAID, or about 8 percent of its budget. Losing the aid under Reagan "was really tough," said Senanayake, whose organization was forced to cut several programs.

The Johannesburg-based Planned Parenthood of South Africa is also bracing for cutbacks. The group, which makes information about abortion readily available, was expecting to receive one quarter of its budget, or about $2 million, from the USAID-funded organizations Pathfinder and VSC International. Director Motsomi Senee says the cuts won't bite until the summer and hopes to make up the shortfall ...