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medical professionals are otherwise ethically conditions have been imposed even where and legally required to provide to their pa- an NGO uses non-AID funds for abortion- tients. Furthermore, the Gag Rule con- related activities. travenes the clear intent of a majority of the These excessively broad anti-abortion con- members of both the United States Senate ditions are unwarranted. I am informed that and House of Representatives, which twice the conditions are not mandated by the For- passed legislation to block the Gag Rule’s en- eign Assistance Act or any other law. More- forcement but failed to override Presidential over, they have undermined efforts to pro- vetoes. mote safe and efficacious family planning For these reasons, you have informed me programs in foreign nations. Accordingly, I that you will suspend the Gag Rule pending hereby direct that AID remove the condi- the promulgation of new regulations in ac- tions not explicitly mandated by the Foreign cordance with the ‘‘notice and comment’’ Assistance Act or any other law from all cur- procedures of the Administrative Procedure rent AID grants to NGO’s and exclude them Act. I hereby direct you to take that action from future grants. as soon as possible. I further direct that, with- in 30 days, you publish in the Federal Reg- William J. Clinton ister new proposed regulations for public comment. You are hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register. Memorandum on Abortions in William J. Clinton Military Hospitals January 22, 1993

Memorandum on the Mexico City Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense Policy Subject: Privately Funded Abortions at January 22, 1993 Military Hospitals Section 1093 of title 10 of the United Memorandum for the Acting Administrator States Code prohibits the use of Department of the Agency for International Development of Defense (‘‘DOD’’) funds to perform abor- Subject: AID Family Planning Grants/ tions except where the life of a woman would Mexico City Policy be endangered if the fetus were carried to The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 pro- term. By memoranda of December 21, 1987, hibits nongovernmental organizations and June 21, 1988, DOD has gone beyond (‘‘NGO’s’’) that receive Federal funds from what I am informed are the requirements of using those funds ‘‘to pay for the perform- the statute and has banned all abortions at ance of abortions as a method of family plan- U.S. military facilities, even where the proce- ning, or to motivate or coerce any person to dure is privately funded. This ban is unwar- practice abortions.’’ (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)). ranted. Accordingly, I hereby direct that you The August 1984 announcement by Presi- reverse the ban immediately and permit dent Reagan of what has become know as abortion services to be provided, if paid for the ‘‘Mexico City Policy’’ directed the Agency entirely with non-DOD funds and in accord- for International Development (‘‘AID’’) to ance with other relevant DOD policies and expand this limitation and withhold AID procedures. funds from NGO’s that engage in a wide You are hereby authorized and directed to range of activities, including providing ad- publish this memorandum in the Federal vice, counseling, or information regarding Register. abortion, or lobbying a foreign government to legalize or make abortion available. These William J. Clinton

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Memorandum on Importation of nounced by the Office of the Press Secretary and RU–486 not including elsewhere in this issue. January 22, 1993 January 20 Memorandum for the Secretary of Health Following the Inaugural luncheon at the and Human Services Capitol, President Clinton and Hillary Clin- ton went by motorcade along the parade Subject: Importation of RU–486 route to the White House, where they viewed In Import Alert 66–47, the Food and Drug the Inaugural parade from the viewing stand. Administration (‘‘FDA’’) excluded the drug In the evening, President Clinton and Hil- Mifepristine—commonly known as RU– lary Clinton attended several Inaugural balls. 486—from the list of drugs that individuals can import into the United States for their January 21 ‘‘personal use,’’ although the drugs have not In the morning, President Clinton and Hil- yet been approved for distribution by the lary Clinton held an open house for the FDA. (See FDA Regulatory Procedures American people in the Diplomatic Recep- Manual, Chapter 9–71.) Import Alert 66–47 tion Room at the White House. effectively bans the importation into this Na- In the afternoon, President Clinton met tion of a drug that is used in other nations with senior staff members in the Roosevelt as a nonsurgical means of abortion. Room, after which he and Hillary Clinton I am informed that in excluding RU–486 hosted a reception in the State Dining Room from the personal use importation exemp- for their family and friends from Arkansas. tion, the FDA appears to have based its deci- sion on factors other than an assessment of January 22 the possible health and safety risks of the In the morning, President Clinton met at drug. Accordingly, I hereby direct that you the White House with Thomas F. McLarty, promptly instruct the FDA to determine Chief of Staff to the President; Anthony whether there is sufficient evidence to war- Lake, Assistant to the President for National rant exclusion of RU–486 from the list of Security Affairs; Samuel R. Berger, Deputy drugs that qualify for the personal use impor- Assistant to the President for National Secu- tation exemption. Furthermore, if the FDA rity Affairs; and members of the CIA briefing concludes that RU–486 meets the criteria for staff. the personal use importation exemption, I di- Later in the morning, after the swearing- rect that you immediately take steps to re- in ceremony for Cabinet members, President scind Import Alert 66–47. Clinton attended a reception for them and In addition, I direct that you promptly as- held a Cabinet meeting. sess initiatives by which the Department of Health and Human Services can promote the testing, licensing, and manufacturing in the United States of RU–486 or other Nominations antiprogestins. Submitted to the Senate You are hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register. The following list does not include promotions of William J. Clinton members of the Uniformed Services, nominations to the Service Academies, or nominations of For- eign Service officers. Digest of Other White House Announcements Submitted January 20

The following list includes the President’s public Warren Christopher, schedule and other items of general interest an- of California, to be Secretary of State.

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