[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 20 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 20

 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Protecting Life in Global 
      Health Assistance policy should be permanently established.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 17, 2019

 Mr. Lee (for himself, Mr. Braun, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Wicker, 
 Mr. Roberts, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Rounds, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Blunt, Ms. 
 Ernst, Mr. Daines, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Hawley, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Cornyn, 
    Mr. Sasse, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Risch, Mr. Thune, Mr. Barrasso, Mrs. 
  Blackburn, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. 
    Moran, Mr. Lankford, Mrs. Fischer, and Mr. Enzi) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Protecting Life in Global 
      Health Assistance policy should be permanently established.

Whereas section 104(f) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
        2151b(f)) (commonly referred to as the ``Helms amendment'') states that 
        no foreign assistance funds may be used to pay for the performance of 
        abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any 
        person to practice abortions;
Whereas section 518 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related 
        Programs Appropriations Act, 2006 (Public Law 109-102; 119 Stat. 2202) 
        (commonly referred to as the ``Siljander Amendment'') states that no 
        foreign assistance funds may be used to lobby for or against abortion;
Whereas, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan established the ``Mexico City 
        Policy,'' which prohibits foreign aid for family planning purposes from 
        being given to foreign nongovernmental organizations that perform 
        abortions or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning, 
        regardless of the source of funding;
Whereas, upon assuming office on January 20, 1989, President George H.W. Bush 
        continued to enforce the Mexico City Policy as established by President 
        Reagan;
Whereas the Mexico City Policy was reestablished on January 22, 2001, by 
        President George W. Bush;
Whereas, on January 23, 2009, President Barack Obama rescinded the Mexico City 
        Policy;
Whereas, on January 23, 2017, President Donald J. Trump reestablished the Mexico 
        City Policy and directed the Secretary of State to apply the policy to 
        all Federal global health assistance; and
Whereas the Department of State modernized the Mexico City Policy on May 15, 
        2017, renamed ``Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance,'' to cover 
        all health assistance provided abroad by a Federal agency, including the 
        United States Agency for International Development, the Department of 
        State, and the Department of Defense: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that Congress should 
expeditiously consider statutory changes that permanently codify the 
Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy.
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