I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1723 

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of 

funds for comprehensive reproductive health care services, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 22, 2023 

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. 

DEGETTE, Mrs. TORRES of California, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mrs. BEATTY, 

Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. MCCOLLUM, 

Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. PANETTA, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. 

CLEAVER, Mr. KILMER, Mr. CASTEN, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. ROSS, Mrs. 

TRAHAN, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. 

MORELLE, Mr. POCAN, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Ms. 

TLAIB, Mr. GOMEZ, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. 

JAYAPAL, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. CHU, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. 

ALLRED, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. 

SHERMAN, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. TOKUDA, Mrs. 

FLETCHER, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. COHEN, Mr. TRONE, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. 

COSTA, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. ESCOBAR, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. 

SCHIFF, Mr. PETERS, Mr. VEASEY, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. HIMES, Mr. TONKO, Ms. 

SCHRIER, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. SWALWELL, Ms. MATSUI, 

Mr. SARBANES, Ms. JACOBS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. PORTER, Ms. 

BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. 

ESPAILLAT, Ms. TITUS, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Ms. MENG, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. BERA, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. EVANS, 

Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. CARBAJAL, 

Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. PASCRELL, Ms. 

KUSTER, Mr. LIEU, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mrs. MCCLELLAN, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. BUSH, Mr. STANTON, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Mr. NADLER, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, 

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of 

Georgia, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Mr. SOTO, Ms. WEXTON, Ms. 

DELAURO, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. CROW, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. 

CROCKETT, Mr. PHILLIPS, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Mrs. 

CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. TORRES of New York, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. 

BROWN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. CARSON, Mr. 

PALLONE, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. 


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PETTERSEN, Mr. IVEY, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. KEATING, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. 

CASE, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Mr. RYAN, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. WILD, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. BEYER, Ms. 

OMAR, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. CRAIG, Ms. MANNING, Mr. THOMPSON of 

California, and Mr. FOSTER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize 

the use of 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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Abortion is a critical component of sexual 

9 and reproductive health care and should be acces10 sible and affordable for all people. 

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

12 choices about their sexual and reproductive health, 

13 and to access quality and affordable sexual and re14 productive health care. International agreements 

15 have recognized reproductive rights for over 25 

16 years, and the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals 


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•HR 1723 IH

1 reiterated the centrality of reproductive rights to 

2 gender equality. 

3 (3) Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that 

4 when people, including young women and adolescent 

5 girls, gender non-conforming individuals, and 

6 transgender men, are able to control their reproduc7 tive lives, there are enormous social and economic 

8 benefits—not just for the individual and their fam9 ily, but for entire communities. Countries that 

10 prioritize reproductive health, rights, and justice and 

11 human rights are more likely to have better overall 

12 health throughout. 

13 (4) Health system cost is reduced when abor14 tion is widely available and integrated with other 

15 types of health care. 

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

17 risk their lives to end their pregnancies. At least 

18 24,100 people in low- and middle-income countries 

19 die every year from complications from unsafe abor20 tion. 

21 (6) Ninety-seven percent of unsafe abortions 

22 occur in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and 

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

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

25 need it would be $4 billion. The majority of this cost 


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1 is attributed to treating complications from abor2 tions provided in unsafe conditions. 

3 (7) Restricting abortion does not reduce either 

4 the need for or number of abortions. Abortion rates 

5 are similar in countries where it is highly restricted 

6 by law and where it is broadly legal. 

7 (8) As part of their commitment to prevent un8 safe abortions and preventable deaths and ensure all 

9 people have access to comprehensive sexual and re10 productive health care and can exercise their right to 

11 full control over their sexuality and reproduction, de12 veloping countries and donor governments must 

13 work collaboratively to deploy funding, align policies, 

14 and mobilize expertise to make safe abortion services 

15 available to those seeking to terminate pregnancies. 

16 (9) United States law restricting United States 

17 foreign assistance funding from being used to pro18 vide safe abortion services has the effect of harming 

19 people who seek to terminate their pregnancies in 

20 several ways, including by blocking access to services 

21 and erecting barriers to providers obtaining the 

22 training and equipment needed to deliver care to 

23 those in need. 

24 (10) Since section 104(f)(1) of the Foreign As25 sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)) (comVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Apr 05, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1723.IH H1723

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1 monly referred to as the ‘‘Helms amendment’’) was 

2 enacted in 1973, dozens of governments across the 

3 globe have liberalized abortion laws and policies. 

4 (11) In countries where the United States sup5 ports family planning and reproductive health care 

6 and in which abortion is legal on at least some 

7 grounds, support for safe abortion could avert over 

8 19 million unsafe abortions and 17,000 maternal 

9 deaths each year. 

10 (12) When abortions are performed in accord11 ance with the World Health Organization (WHO) 

12 guideline and standards, it is a simple and safe pro13 cedure. The most recent WHO abortion guidelines 

14 recommend the full decriminalization of abortion 

15 and removal of grounds-based restrictions on abor16 tion. 

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

18 Organization decision goes against the global trend 

19 toward expanding access to sexual and reproductive 

20 health and rights, including abortion, and negatively 

21 impacts abortion access across the United States 

22 and globally. The decision has emboldened anti23 rights actors, increased abortion stigma, and created 

24 new challenges for countries that have relied on the 


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1 Roe v. Wade decision in the liberalization of their 

2 own laws. 

3 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

4 The following shall be the policy of the United States 

5 Government: 

6 (1) Safe abortion is a critical component of 

7 comprehensive maternal and reproductive health 

8 care and should be included as part of foreign assist9 ance programs funded by the United States Govern10 ment. 

11 (2) Safe abortion is to be made widely available 

12 and integrated with other types of health care. 

13 (3) The United States Government should work 

14 to end unsafe abortion and promote safe abortion 

15 services by providing funding and collaborating with 

16 affected governments and service providers to pro17 vide training, commodities and equipment, and ac18 cess to safe abortion services. 

19 SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS FOR COMPREHENSIVE REPRODUC20 TIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES. 

21 Section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

22 (22 U.S.C. 2151b) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (f)— 

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


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1 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

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

3 (2) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub4 section (h); and 

5 (3) by inserting after subsection (f), as amend6 ed, the following: 

7 ‘‘(g) USE OF FUNDS FOR COMPREHENSIVE REPRO8 DUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES.—Notwithstanding 

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

10 out this part may be used to provide comprehensive repro11 ductive health care services, including abortion services, 

12 training, and equipment.’’. 

Æ 


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