I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2367 
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize assistance to 
provide contraceptives in developing countries in order to prevent unin-
tended pregnancies, abortions, and the transmission of sexually trans-
mitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 17, 2007 
Mr. CARNAHAN (for himself, Ms. LEE, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. 
MOORE of Kansas, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. OBER-
STAR, Mr. MICHAUD, and Mr. MCGOVERN) 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 
assistance to provide contraceptives in developing coun-
tries in order to prevent unintended pregnancies, abor-
tions, and the transmission of sexually transmitted infec-
tions, including HIV/AIDS. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ensuring Access to 
Contraceptives Act of 2007’’. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:42 May 19, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2367.IH
H2367
jcorcoran on PROD1PC65 with BILLS
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) A deepening crisis in developing countries 
with respect to the availability of contraceptives 
needed for family planning, safe motherhood serv-
ices, HIV/AIDS prevention, and other vital repro-
ductive health care threatens the health and lives of 
millions of people. 
(2) In the next ten to fifteen years, the largest- 
ever generation of young people will enter their re-
productive years. For example, the number of 
women of reproductive age is projected to double in 
Nigeria in the next 25 years. This demographic 
shift, combined with increased demand for modern 
methods of family planning, will increase worldwide 
the number of people who desire to use contracep-
tion by 40 percent. 
(3) The gap between the need for contracep-
tives and funding for such contraceptives is pro-
jected to reach hundreds of millions of United States 
dollars annually by 2015. 
(4) According to estimates based on national 
surveys, more than 200 million women in developing 
countries wish to delay or end childbearing but do 
not have access to modern contraceptives. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:42 May 19, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2367.IH
H2367
jcorcoran on PROD1PC65 with BILLS
(5) An estimated 40 percent of married couples 
in Haiti, 36 percent of married couples in Ethiopia, 
and 32 percent of married couples in Pakistan do 
not have access to contraceptives. In each of these 
countries, average birth rates among women are two 
to three times average birth rates in the United 
States. 
(6) Access to family planning and contracep-
tives is essential in reducing unintended pregnancies 
and, as a result, reducing rates of abortion. 
(7) The provision of modern contraceptives to 
the more than 200 million women in developing 
countries who desire such contraceptives would avert 
approximately 52 million pregnancies each year, and 
as a result, would prevent an estimated 23 million 
unplanned births, 22 million induced abortions, 7 
million spontaneous abortions, 1.4 million infant 
deaths, 142,000 pregnancy-related deaths, and 
505,000 children from losing their mothers. 
(8) In January 2001, the White House re-
affirmed President George W. Bush’s commitment 
to United States family planning assistance efforts, 
stating that ‘‘[the President] knows that one of the 
best ways to prevent abortion is by providing quality 
voluntary family planning services’’. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:42 May 19, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2367.IH
H2367
jcorcoran on PROD1PC65 with BILLS
(9) Experiences in a number of countries in re-
cent years indicate that when long-term, effective 
family planning methods are available, abortion 
rates decline, sometimes drastically. For example, 
between 1988 and 2001, the use of modern contra-
ceptives increased in Russia by 74 percent, while the 
abortion rate declined by 61 percent. Similar experi-
ences in Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Chile, Estonia, Hun-
gary, Latvia, and Romania have shown that in-
creased use of contraceptives is accompanied by a 
decline in abortion rates. 
(10) In addition to reducing unintended preg-
nancies and abortions, condoms are a vital compo-
nent in limiting the spread of HIV/AIDS. Con-
sequently, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is contributing 
to an increased demand for reproductive health sup-
plies. 
(11) The vast majority of HIV infections are 
sexually transmitted and condoms are currently the 
only contraceptive that can protect against this form 
of HIV transmission. Condoms remain an important 
intervention in multisectoral approaches to HIV/ 
AIDS prevention, along with programs that promote 
abstinence and monogamy. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:42 May 19, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2367.IH
H2367
jcorcoran on PROD1PC65 with BILLS
(12) In sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV preva-
lence rates can reach 40 percent of the adult popu-
lation and women constitute 60 percent of people liv-
ing with HIV/AIDS, donors provide an average of 
only 5.5 condoms per adult male annually. 
(13) Not only does contraceptive use prevent 
unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women, 
it does so at a lower cost than the use of the 
nevirapine alone. In fact, adding family planning 
services to Prevention of Mother to Child Trans-
mission (PMTCT) programs can achieve the same 
effect as increasing drug coverage but at a lower 
cost. For the same cost, family planning services can 
avert nearly 30 percent more HIV-positive births 
than antiretroviral drugs. 
(14) In addition to reducing rates of abortion 
and HIV/AIDS, access to contraceptives and other 
reproductive health care services saves the lives of 
mothers and children by helping women avoid high 
risk pregnancies. An increase in the use of contra-
ceptives, which allow women to space the births of 
their children over safe intervals, have been proven 
to reduce maternal and child mortality. 
(15) Complications resulting from pregnancy 
and childbirth are the leading causes of death and 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:42 May 19, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2367.IH
H2367
jcorcoran on PROD1PC65 with BILLS