US News

Obama signs executive order on abortion

U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order Wednesday reaffirming long-standing restrictions on federal funding of abortion procedures.

The order was part of an 11th hour agreement with Democratic abortion opponents in the House that brought them over to Obama’s side and pushed the health insurance overhaul over the top in a 219-212 vote.

Pro-life lawmakers and supporters had argued the abortion language in the Senate health care bill, which is what the House approved on Sunday, did not specifically ban federal spending on abortions. The executive order was drafted to address those concerns.

Obama invited members of the Democrats’ anti-abortion bloc, including its leader, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), to the private afternoon signing at the White House. The White House released a photograph to document the occasion, which caused some consternation from members of the White House press corps who believed the event merited more open coverage.

Their wish was not granted. “You’ll have a nice picture,” White House press Secretary Robert Gibbs retorted at the daily briefing.

Stupak who came under fire for accepting an executive order as his price for supporting the health care overhaul, released a statement Tuesday defending the order.

“Throughout history, executive orders have been an important means of implementing public policy,” the statement said. “The most famous executive order was the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln in 1863.”

An executive order does not have the force of law and can be rescinded by another executive order.

The Stupak-negotiated abortion executive order has drawn withering criticism from both pro-life and pro-choice groups, the former who say the order lacks teeth to restrict federal money for abortions, and the latter who say it will deny abortion services to women.

Stupak says the order merely upholds the current status quo that taxpayer money should not be used for abortion services.

At Wednesday’s White House briefing, Gibbs was questioned about the necessity of an executive order by reporters who argued the White House couldn’t have it both ways in arguing that it merely re-states existing law under the “Hyde Amendment,” yet found it necessary to cave to Stupak and his allies in issuing the order.

The “Hyde Amendment,” named after a Republican congressman from Illinois, prohibits direct federal funding of abortion.

Gibbs said the president did not believe he changed the status quo in the bill he signed into law. Told by a reporter that this deemed it irrelevant, Gibbs replied “it’s an executive order, it’s not a frivolous thing.” Pressed further, Gibbs was unable to square the circle.

“We reiterated the status quo and we’re comfortable reiterating that status quo,” he said.

-Fox News contributed to this report