By AMY HARDER
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright praised President Obama for the executive order he signed today that lifts restrictions on federal funding for groups that provide abortion services around the world.
The prohibition, known as the "Mexico City Policy," restricts the U.S.'s ability to engage constructively with other countries, Albright said. Reversing it, she added, is "a very big deal because the big issues internationally have to do with the health of women and on, generally, the right of people to choose what they want to do, having information."
Albright sees this executive order as a promising sign that the Obama administration will work to improve the country's global relations: "In many developing countries there is huge population pressure, so it is another signal that [the U.S. is] rejoining the international community."
The policy has teetered along party lines since its inception in 1984 under Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton rescinded the rule in 1993, only to have George W. Bush reinstate it in 2001.
Secretary Clinton's Global Sway
Albright, who became the first female secretary of State during the Clinton administration, also offered a few words of wisdom for the woman now at the helm of that same department. "First of all, being secretary of State of the United States is one of the most all-time great jobs representing this country," Albright said. "She is in a position to be a partner in terms of reformulating American foreign policy. That is going to be very important."
Continue reading Albright Backs Reversing 'Mexico City Policy,' Offers Clinton Advice.
