CHANGE

Well, this is interesting.  Obama just changed a foreign abortion-funding policy as one of his first acts of President of the United States.  

You can read the article for yourself, but the rule President Obama struck down essentially prohibited U.S. money from funding international family-planning clinics that promote or provide counseling for abortions.

The article really caught my eye because I remember the rule clearly as Bush's first executive order as President in 2001.  The debate on this subject has been a virtual ping-pong match, with the policy changing with each party change or a shift in political power (Reagan was for the ban, Clinton reversed the stance as one of his first acts as President, Bush changed it, and now Obama changed it again...), but in my opinion, this was a very dangerous rule in the first place and striking it down was a responsible act of global citizenship.  People who want to get an abortion might seek one through dangerous means if there are not safe (ie - funded) options available (say, those who live in a society where a girl is economically disadvantageous), so as a nation with resources, we can actually make a difference here by offering those options.  If we are going to fund a war that kills people or give money to Israel while trying to broker peace in the Middle East, I definitely think we can stand to take such simple, realistic approaches to assisting where there is need.  Whatever your stance on abortion, you have to think realistically about this and that this is a cultural issue.  

Anyways, just a random comment for the day, but I am definitely one of the many who is watching these (highly publicized) first 100 days in office.  And right now, it's refreshing.