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OCR Page 1 of 71Meeting with Family Planning Advocates
January 22, 1999
I'm glad to have the opportunity to meet with you all as we approach the 26th anniversary
of Roe v. Wade. I'd like to thank you for all your work to promote and protect a woman's
right to choose. I know it has not been an easy mission.
Clearly, there were no shortage of attacks and even setbacks this past year. But, because
of this Administration and the people in this room, there were also no shortage of
victories. The global gag rule was stopped -- for now. Title X family planning funding
was increased by $12 million. And, Federal health plans that cover prescription drugs
must now also cover contraceptives.
In fact, this has never been an easy issue. I hope that we will be able to find ways of to
increase dialogue, to work together with people of good faith on both sides of this issue,
to try to understand how we can continue the progress that has been made in the last six
years in making family planning more widely available, decreasing the numbers of
abortions, decreasing teen pregnancy, in working to give women opportunities to make
choices that are best for them and their families.
I think my husband's formulation of his goal that abortion should be legal, safe and rare
is still the right one: abortion should be legal, safe and rare. We have worked hard to
change attitudes, values and policies that will make abortion less necessary. After years
of moving in the wrong direction, teen pregnancy is down to its lowest level in years, and
teen sexual activity are down. Unintended pregnancies are down. And, abortions are
down -- by a full 12 percent.
That's why the President's increase in Title X is so important -- we can continue the
progress we've made. We must work on behalf of educational opportunities for young
women and young men so they know they have better choices and that they should
postpone childbearing. That's why I think efforts like HHS' Girl Power! Campaign are
so important. This pregnancy prevention education initiative is engaging all HHS teen
pregnancy prevention and related youth programs in sustained efforts to prevent
pregnancy among 9- to 14-year-old girls.
We must continue to speak out on behalf of family planning here and around the world.
As I have traveled around the world, I have seen examples of how our international
family planning efforts reduce abortion in country after country [e.g., Brazil]. I have also
been to a country where the government forces women to have abortion [i.e., China] and
to a country where the government used to force women to become pregnant [i.e.,
Romania]. Two extremes -- government, on the one hand, saying you cannot have
children; government on the other hand, saying you must have children. What we have
tried to do in promoting choice is to say that this is the most difficult of all intimate
choices and it should be made by the individual in consultation with her conscience, her
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