WASHINGTON, Feb 5, 2001 (LSN.ca) – During Colin Powell’s first media interview as Secretary of State he was asked about the Mexico City Policy which bans U.S. government funding of international abortion promoting groups. Following is an excerpt from the interview on ABC’s ‘This Week’ with Cokie Roberts :
Do you have any concern about that (the policy)?
POWELL: No, President Bush was consistent with his campaign pledge on this issue to go back to the Mexico policy that existed up until 1993, which essentially says that we’re going to spend over $400 million a year on family planning, but we do not wish any of that money to go to organizations that advocate abortion or educate abortion.
ROBERTS: Do you agree with that?
POWELL: It is the policy. I have a—I have other views that are my personal views, but this is the policy of the government, and it’s consistent with President Bush’s campaign promises. And it is consistent with the principles of the party that he represents.
See the transcript of the show at: https://abcnews.go.com/sections/ThisWeek/thisweek/transcripts/tw010204_powell_trans.html