WASHINGTON — Fresh from his inauguration this week, President Bush launched important policy moves on education and abortion that concern many in the Jewish community.
On the first work day of his presidency Monday, Bush barred federal funds from being given to international family planning groups that offer abortion services and counseling.
On Tuesday, he introduced an education plan that touts school accountability, more local school control, annual student testing and school vouchers.
The Jewish community is closely watching Bush’s initial moves to see how forcefully he will move to translate contentious campaign issues into policy.
The use of vouchers, which provide government funds for students to attend parochial or private schools, remains a divisive issue among Jewish organizations. Many groups oppose vouchers on church-state separation grounds, but others believe parents could use the money to send their children to Jewish schools.
Voucher initiatives were defeated in Michigan and California in November, and a federal appeals court in December ruled that a voucher plan in Cleveland was unconstitutional.
Opponents say vouchers will siphon money away from the public schools, but supporters say there is a way to hold schools accountable for progress.
“The only way accountability works is to have consequences,” said Nathan Diament, director of the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs.
But aware that his voucher plan does not sit well with Democrats and some moderate Republicans, Bush met with key members of both parties to push his ideas before introducing his plan.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), the ranking minority member on the Senate’s Education Committee, said there are “overwhelming areas of agreement” between the Bush plan and a Democratic one just introduced by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and other moderates that would streamline federal school programs and target resources to disadvantaged students, but would not include vouchers.
While consensus might be found on education reform, Bush’s order on Monday stopping federal funding of programs that offer abortion services abroad was much more polarizing.
Pro-choice Jewish groups condemned the move, saying it will harm women’s health programs and infringe on free speech.
The American Jewish Congress said it hopes the “distressing” act does not indicate that Bush will retreat from the policy of protecting reproductive choice.
The action is “particularly ironic since funding of international family planning reduces abortions,” Lois Waldman, director of the AJCongress’ Commission for Women’s Equality, said in a statement.
Current law bans the use of U.S. funds for abortions in foreign countries. In 1984, in what is often referred to as the “Mexico City policy,” President Reagan further banned U.S. aid to international groups that use their own money to support abortion.
President Clinton suspended Reagan’s measure — known to pro-choice groups as the “global gag rule” — in one of his first acts in office. Bush’s order reverses the Clinton move.