[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4641 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4641

  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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2022

  Mr. Booker (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Smith, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
 Blumenthal, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Brown, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. 
    Markey, Ms. Warren, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Murphy, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. 
   Feinstein, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Padilla, Mr. 
 Sanders, and Mr. Leahy) 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 
  funds for comprehensive reproductive health care services, 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 ``Abortion is Health Care Everywhere 
Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) International agreements have recognized reproductive 
        rights for more than 25 years, and the 2015 United Nations 
        Sustainable Development Goals reiterated the centrality of 
        reproductive rights to gender equality.
            (2) Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that when people, 
        including young women and adolescent girls, gender 
        nonconforming individuals, and transgender men, are able to 
        control their reproductive lives, there are enormous social and 
        economic benefits, not just for the individual and their 
        family, but for entire communities.
            (3) Countries that prioritize reproductive health, rights, 
        and justice and human rights are more likely to have better 
        overall health throughout their countries.
            (4) Health system cost is reduced when abortion is widely 
        available and integrated with other types of health care.
            (5) Without access to safe abortion care, people risk their 
        lives to end their pregnancies. At least 24,100 people in low- 
        and middle-income countries die every year from complications 
        from unsafe abortions.
            (6) Ninety-seven percent of unsafe abortions occur in 
        developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 
        low- and middle-income countries, the annual cost of post-
        abortion care for all who need is estimated to be 
        $4,000,000,000. The majority of this cost is attributed to 
        treating complications from abortions provided in unsafe 
        conditions.
            (7) Restricting abortion does not reduce either the need 
        for or number of abortions. Abortion rates are similar in 
        countries where it is highly restricted by law and where it is 
        broadly legal.
            (8) When abortions are performed in accordance with World 
        Health Organization guidelines and standards, there is minimal 
        risk of severe complications or death.
            (9) United States law restricting United States foreign 
        assistance funding from being used to provide safe abortion 
        services has the effect of harming people who seek to terminate 
        their pregnancies in several ways, including by blocking access 
        to services and erecting barriers to providers obtaining the 
        training and equipment needed to deliver care to those in need.
            (10) Since the enactment of section 104(f)(1) of the 
        Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)) 
        (commonly referred to as the ``Helms amendment'') in 1973, 
        dozens of governments across the globe have liberalized 
        abortion laws and policies.
            (11) In countries where the United States supports family 
        planning and reproductive health care and in which abortion is 
        legal on, at least some grounds, support for safe abortion 
        could avert more than 19,000,000 unsafe abortions and 17,000 
        maternal deaths each year.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) abortion is a critical component of sexual and 
        reproductive health care and should be accessible and 
        affordable for all people;
            (2) all people have the right to make their own choices 
        about their sexual and reproductive health, and to access 
        quality and affordable sexual and reproductive health care; and
            (3) as part of their commitment to prevent unsafe abortions 
        and preventable deaths and to ensure that all people have 
        access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and 
        can exercise their right to full control over their sexuality 
        and reproduction, developing countries and donor governments 
        must work collaboratively to deploy funding, align policies, 
        and mobilize expertise to make safe abortion services available 
        to those seeking to terminate pregnancies.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States Government--
            (1) to recognize safe abortion as a critical component of 
        comprehensive maternal and reproductive health care and include 
        safe abortion services as part of foreign assistance programs 
        funded by the United States Government;
            (2) to make safe abortion widely available and integrated 
        with other types of health care; and
            (3) to work to end unsafe abortion and to promote safe 
        abortion services by providing funding and collaborating with 
        affected governments and service providers to provide training, 
        commodities and equipment, and access to safe abortion 
        services.

SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS FOR COMPREHENSIVE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE 
              SERVICES.

    Section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (1); and
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
                paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively;
            (2) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h); and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (f), as amended, the 
        following:
    ``(g) Use of Funds for Comprehensive Reproductive Health Care 
Services.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds made 
available to carry out this part may be used to provide comprehensive 
reproductive health care services, including abortion services, 
training, and equipment.''.
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