If it weren’t for my agitated neighbors here in the Vendee, a staunchly Catholic corner of France, I wouldn’t have noticed the graf buried in this Reuters piece reporting the Obama administration has halted Bush regulations “prohibiting medical facilities from receiving federal money for discriminating against doctors and nurses who refuse to assist with abortions or dispense contraceptives based on religious grounds.” There’s a regional effort here in France to alert people about the perils of FOCA.

It’s interesting to see how this issue is viewed, especially outside Paris. When you explain to French people, even the secular variety, the American laws regarding abortion, you get a pretty devout, “Mon Dieu,” even from those who would normally say there’s no Dieu at all. In the EU, the laws regarding abortion generally are far more…well, “civilized” doesn’t seem quite the right word. But more restrictive anyway.

Of course, this being France and all, the banner ad being served atop The Corner has a couple of anime lesbians smooching as part of a “live the lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of” campaign by a virtual reality site. I suppose it’s better than a Planned Parenthood ad, anyway.