Abortion is health care, everywhere

The United States has a major role to play in the protection of human rights and reproductive freedom. Yet, for 50 years, the Helms Amendment has diminished that role and plagued abortion care in low-to middle-income countries.

The Helms Amendment is a U.S. policy that prohibits the use of foreign assistance funds to pay for abortion “as a method of family planning.” Yet, in practice, it has been applied as a complete ban on the use for funds for abortion-related services and information. This makes the United States the only nation that singles out an essential health service in its foreign aid, stigmatizes it, and imposes an ideological viewpoint on programs that are meant to help millions of people.

The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives on March 22, 2023.  The bill was reintroduced in the Senate by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and bill co-leads Senators Blumenthal (D-CT), Hirono (D-HI), Duckworth (D-IL) and Smith (D-MN) with 24 original cosponsors. The bill was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and bill co-leads Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Norma Torres (D-CA) and Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) with over 150 original cosponsors. This historic legislation removes the Helms Amendment from statute and replaces it with proactive language stating that U.S. funding shall be used to provide comprehensive reproductive health-care services and information, including abortion services, training, and equipment.

The bill was introduced for the first time ever in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 29, 2020 and in just 2 months the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act secured over 110 cosponsors in Congress. Currently, the bill enjoys the support of 154 Representatives and 24 Senators as co-sponsors in the 118th Congress and support continues to grow each day for this critical legislation.