[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 929 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 929
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of
Federal foreign assistance funds for comprehensive reproductive health
care services, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 22, 2023
Mr. Booker (for himself, Ms. Smith, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Duckworth, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, Mr.
Padilla, Mr. Welch, Mr. Schatz, Ms. Warren, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Murphy,
Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Murray, Mrs.
Feinstein, Mr. Brown, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Cortez Masto, and Mr. Lujan)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of
Federal foreign assistance funds for comprehensive reproductive health
care services, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Abortion is Health Care Everywhere
Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Abortion is a critical component of sexual and
reproductive health care and should be accessible and
affordable for all people.
(2) All people have the right to make their own choices
about their sexual and reproductive health, and to access
quality and affordable sexual and reproductive health care.
International agreements have recognized reproductive rights
for over 25 years, and the Sustainable Development Goals, which
were adopted by United Nations in September 2015, reiterated
the centrality of reproductive rights to gender equality.
(3) Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that when people,
including young women and adolescent girls, gender
nonconforming individuals, and transgender men, are able to
control their reproductive lives, there are enormous social and
economic benefits, not just for the individual and their
family, but for entire communities. Countries that prioritize
reproductive health rights, justice, and human rights are more
likely to have better overall health among their population.
(4) Health system cost is reduced when abortion is widely
available and integrated with other types of health care.
(5) Without access to safe abortion care, people risk their
lives to end their pregnancies. At least 24,100 people in low-
and middle-income countries die every year as a result of
complications from unsafe abortions.
(6) Ninety-seven percent of unsafe abortions occur in
developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In
low- and middle-income countries, the annual cost of post-
abortion care for all who need it would be $4,000,000,000. The
majority of this cost is attributed to treating complications
from abortions provided in unsafe conditions.
(7) Restricting abortion does not reduce either the need
for, or number of, abortions. Abortion rates are similar in
countries where it is highly restricted by law and where it is
broadly legal.
(8) As part of their commitment to prevent unsafe abortions
and preventable deaths and ensure all people have access to
comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and can
exercise their right to full control over their sexuality and
reproduction, developing countries and donor governments must
work collaboratively to deploy funding, align policies, and
mobilize expertise to make safe abortion services available to
those seeking to terminate pregnancies.
(9) United States law restricting United States foreign
assistance funding from being used to provide safe abortion
services has the effect of harming people who seek to terminate
their pregnancies in several ways, including by blocking access
to services and erecting barriers to providers obtaining the
training and equipment needed to deliver care to those in need.
(10) Since section 104(f)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)) (commonly referred to as the
``Helms amendment'') was enacted in 1973, dozens of governments
across the globe have liberalized abortion laws and policies.
(11) In countries where the United States supports family
planning and reproductive health care and in which abortion is
legal on at least some grounds, support for safe abortion could
avert over 19 million unsafe abortions and 17,000 maternal
deaths each year.
(12) When an abortion is performed in accordance with World
Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and standards, it is a
simple and safe procedure. The most recent WHO abortion
guidelines recommend the full decriminalization of abortion and
removal of grounds-based restrictions on abortion.
(13) The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (142
S. Ct. 2228 (2022)) decision goes against the global trend
toward expanding access to sexual and reproductive health and
rights, including abortion, and negatively impacts abortion
access across the United States and globally. The decision has
emboldened anti-abortion rights actors, increased abortion
stigma, and created new challenges for countries that have
relied on the Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113 (1973)) decision in the
liberalization of their own laws.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States Government--
(1) to recognize that safe abortion is a critical component
of comprehensive maternal and reproductive health care and
should be included as part of foreign assistance programs
funded by the United States Government;
(2) to make safe abortion widely available and integrated
with other types of health care; and
(3) to work to end unsafe abortion and promote safe
abortion services by providing funding and collaborating with
affected governments and service providers to provide training,
commodities, equipment, and access to safe abortion services.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZING THE USE OF FEDERAL FOREIGN ASSISTANCE FUNDS FOR
COMPREHENSIVE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES.
Section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (f)--
(A) by striking paragraph (1); and
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as
paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively;
(2) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (f), as amended, the
following:
``(g) Use of Funds for Comprehensive Reproductive Health Care
Services.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds made
available to carry out this part may be used to provide comprehensive
reproductive health care services, including abortion services,
training, and equipment.''.
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