Bush Administration Deletes example essay topic

Bush Administration Deletes Women's Issues Information from Government Websites The Bush Administration has quietly deleted and altered information on women's issues from government agency websites, a research group has found. A report from the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW), released in mid-April, says the deletion of information on subjects including pay equity and childcare was "apparently [done] in pursuit of a political agenda". At least 25 publications were removed from the website of the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau alone. Some items that were not deleted were reportedly altered: For example, information about the use of condoms to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases was changed to say that the effectiveness of condoms was "inconclusive". The National Cancer Institute's website was changed in 2002 to say studies linking abortion and breast cancer were inconsistent; an outcry from scientists resulted in an amendment to say abortion is not associated with an increased risk. The NCRW report also indicated that key government offices such as the Office of Women's Initiatives and Outreach in the White House and the President's Interagency Council on Women have been disbanded, with attempts made at the Pentagon to disband the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.

Finally, the report found that as of March 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft had failed to conduct and publish a study required under the Violence Against Women Act to investigate discrimination against domestic violence victims in getting insurance. Sources: "U.S. Deletes, Alters Gender Issue Web Data", Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters, April 28, 2004; "MISSING: Information About Women's Lives", The National Council for Research on Women, March 2004. Bush: Discrimination Against Women Not As Serious As Racial, Ethnic Discrimination At a recent press conference, George W. Bush indicated through White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer that he does not consider discrimination against women to be an offense as serious as racial or ethnic discrimination. According to Fleischer, membership in a group that excludes women is not "a disqualifying factor" for candidates to Cabinet posts.

However, when prodded, Fleischer stated that racial or ethnic discrimination is a "very different category for the President". Sources: PR Newswire, "Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer", Dec. 11, 2002; Federal Document Clearing House, "Ari Fleischer Holds White House Briefing", Dec. 9, 2002 Bush's Posturing on Sex Trade Meets Skepticism The Associated Press reports that human rights groups were skeptical about President Bush demands that foreign nations crack down on the international sex trade, saying the problem can only be solved by addressing root causes like poverty and poor education. In his recent speech to the United General Counsel, Bush ended with warnings about the dangers of the trade in sex slaves. In a sleight of hand, Bush said that the U. S is committing $50 million to organizations that give shelter and medicine to exploited women and children, but did not say whether that money was new or already allocated. Jodi Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, said the U.S. has not done enough to fight related issues like AIDS. The Bush administration has promised $15 billion for five years to combat AIDS, but part of the AIDS bill will deny funds to any group or organization working with female prostitutes that do not have a policy explicitly opposing prostitution, a provision rights groups oppose.

"You cannot straitjacket the groups that are working with trafficking survivors", says Rite Sharma, executive director of Women's Edge Coalition. Source: Associated Press, "Bush Stand on Sex Trade Meets Skepticism", Sept. 24, 2003. Bush Reinstatement of Gag Rule Resulting in Deaths, Disease Globally Women's e News reports that the global gag rule "has led to closed clinics, cuts in healthcare staff and dwindling medical supplies, leaving women, children and families without access to vital healthcare services". This policy, reinstated by President Bush in 2001 as one of his first acts in office, prohibits any organization receiving population funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development from using those or other funds to provide or promote abortion. The gag rule also led to shortages in contraceptives due to large cuts in funding to organizations that refused to sign the rule.

By 2002, the gag rule had cut off shipments of USAID-donated supplies to 16 developing countries, because the only recipients in those countries were members of the International Planned Parenthood Federation which lost $20 million in USAID funds because it refused to comply with the policy. Condoms procured with HIV / AIDS funds are not subject to the rule, but critics of the rule say that, in practice, organizations that refused to sign the rule have not been able to get funds earmarked for HIV / AIDS prevention. Hillary Fyfe, chair of the Family Life Movement of Zambia, asserts, "I think they are killing these women, just as if they are pointing a gun and shooting. There is no difference". Source: Womens e News, "Report: Global Gag Rule Spurring Deaths, Disease", Sept. 25, 2003.