American Values Act
Bill: S.239 | Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. (R-ID)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
American Values Act
This bill expands and makes permanent certain restrictions that prohibit the use of U.S. foreign assistance to pay for the performance or promotion of abortion services overseas.
Current law generally prohibits the use of foreign assistance for abortions through language included in appropriations bills. This bill specifically prohibits the use of any funds under the Foreign Assistance Act for (1) abortions or involuntary sterilization as methods of family planning, or (2) biomedical research that relates to these practices as methods of family planning. In addition, the bill makes permanent prohibitions on the use of such funds to (1) lobby for or against abortion, or (2) fund any organization or program that supports or participates in coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. The bill also makes permanent a prohibition on the use of funds made available to the Peace Corps to pay for abortions.

To permanently enact certain appropriations Act restrictions on the use 
 of funds for abortions and involuntary sterilizations, 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 ``American Values Act''.

SEC. 2. PERMANENT ENACTMENT OF CERTAIN GENERAL PROVISIONS.

    (a) Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.--Section 104(f) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)) is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(f) Prohibition on Use of Funds for Abortions and Involuntary 
Sterilizations.--None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or 
otherwise made available to carry out this Act may be made available--
            ``(1) to pay for the performance of abortions as a method 
        of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to 
        practice abortions;
            ``(2) to pay for the performance of involuntary 
        sterilization as a method of family planning or to coerce or 
        provide any financial incentive to any person to undergo 
        sterilizations;
            ``(3) to pay for biomedical research which relates in whole 
        or in part, to methods of, or the performance of, abortions or 
        involuntary sterilization as a means of family planning;
            ``(4) to lobby for or against abortion; or
            ``(5) to any organization or program which, as determined 
        by the President, supports or participates in the management of 
        a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.''.
    (b) Peace Corps Act.--Section 301(b) of the Peace Corps Act (22 
U.S.C. 2501a(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
    ``(3) Subject to section 614 of the Financial Services and General 
Government Appropriations Act, 2014 (division E of Public Law 113-76; 
128 Stat. 227), none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or 
otherwise made available to carry out this Act may be used to pay for 
abortions.''.
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