II 

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. LUJA ́N) 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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Abortion is Health 

5 Care Everywhere Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) Abortion is a critical component of sexual 

4 and reproductive health care and should be acces5 sible and affordable for all people. 

6 (2) All people have the right to make their own 

7 choices about their sexual and reproductive health, 

8 and to access quality and affordable sexual and re9 productive health care. International agreements 

10 have recognized reproductive rights for over 25 

11 years, and the Sustainable Development Goals, 

12 which were adopted by United Nations in September 

13 2015, reiterated the centrality of reproductive rights 

14 to gender equality. 

15 (3) Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that 

16 when people, including young women and adolescent 

17 girls, gender nonconforming individuals, and 

18 transgender men, are able to control their reproduc19 tive lives, there are enormous social and economic 

20 benefits, not just for the individual and their family, 

21 but for entire communities. Countries that prioritize 

22 reproductive health rights, justice, and human rights 

23 are more likely to have better overall health among 

24 their population. 


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1 (4) Health system cost is reduced when abor2 tion is widely available and integrated with other 

3 types of health care. 

4 (5) Without access to safe abortion care, people 

5 risk their lives to end their pregnancies. At least 

6 24,100 people in low- and middle-income countries 

7 die every year as a result of complications from un8 safe abortions. 

9 (6) Ninety-seven percent of unsafe abortions 

10 occur in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and 

11 Latin America. In low- and middle-income countries, 

12 the annual cost of post-abortion care for all who 

13 need it would be $4,000,000,000. The majority of 

14 this cost is attributed to treating complications from 

15 abortions provided in unsafe conditions. 

16 (7) Restricting abortion does not reduce either 

17 the need for, or number of, abortions. Abortion rates 

18 are similar in countries where it is highly restricted 

19 by law and where it is broadly legal. 

20 (8) As part of their commitment to prevent un21 safe abortions and preventable deaths and ensure all 

22 people have access to comprehensive sexual and re23 productive health care and can exercise their right to 

24 full control over their sexuality and reproduction, de25 veloping countries and donor governments must 


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1 work collaboratively to deploy funding, align policies, 

2 and mobilize expertise to make safe abortion services 

3 available to those seeking to terminate pregnancies. 

4 (9) United States law restricting United States 

5 foreign assistance funding from being used to pro6 vide safe abortion services has the effect of harming 

7 people who seek to terminate their pregnancies in 

8 several ways, including by blocking access to services 

9 and erecting barriers to providers obtaining the 

10 training and equipment needed to deliver care to 

11 those in need. 

12 (10) Since section 104(f)(1) of the Foreign As13 sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)) (com14 monly referred to as the ‘‘Helms amendment’’) was 

15 enacted in 1973, dozens of governments across the 

16 globe have liberalized abortion laws and policies. 

17 (11) In countries where the United States sup18 ports family planning and reproductive health care 

19 and in which abortion is legal on at least some 

20 grounds, support for safe abortion could avert over 

21 19 million unsafe abortions and 17,000 maternal 

22 deaths each year. 

23 (12) When an abortion is performed in accord24 ance with World Health Organization (WHO) guide25 lines and standards, it is a simple and safe proceVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 Mar 31, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S929.IS S929

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1 dure. The most recent WHO abortion guidelines rec2 ommend the full decriminalization of abortion and 

3 removal of grounds-based restrictions on abortion. 

4 (13) The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health 

5 Organization (142 S. Ct. 2228 (2022)) decision goes 

6 against the global trend toward expanding access to 

7 sexual and reproductive health and rights, including 

8 abortion, and negatively impacts abortion access 

9 across the United States and globally. The decision 

10 has emboldened anti-abortion rights actors, in11 creased abortion stigma, and created new challenges 

12 for countries that have relied on the Roe v. Wade 

13 (410 U.S. 113 (1973)) decision in the liberalization 

14 of their own laws. 

15 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

16 It is the policy of the United States Government— 

17 (1) to recognize that safe abortion is a critical 

18 component of comprehensive maternal and reproduc19 tive health care and should be included as part of 

20 foreign assistance programs funded by the United 

21 States Government; 

22 (2) to make safe abortion widely available and 

23 integrated with other types of health care; and 

24 (3) to work to end unsafe abortion and promote 

25 safe abortion services by providing funding and colVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 Mar 31, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S929.IS S929

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1 laborating with affected governments and service 

2 providers to provide training, commodities, equip3 ment, and access to safe abortion services. 

4 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZING THE USE OF FEDERAL FOREIGN AS5 SISTANCE FUNDS FOR COMPREHENSIVE RE6 PRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES. 

7 Section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

8 (22 U.S.C. 2151b) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (f)— 

10 (A) by striking paragraph (1); and 

11 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

12 (3) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively; 

13 (2) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub14 section (h); and 

15 (3) by inserting after subsection (f), as amend16 ed, the following: 

17 ‘‘(g) USE OF FUNDS FOR COMPREHENSIVE REPRO18 DUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES.—Notwithstanding 

19 any other provision of law, funds made available to carry 

20 out this part may be used to provide comprehensive repro21 ductive health care services, including abortion services, 

22 training, and equipment.’’. 

Æ 


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