Nonpartisan civic infrastructure
AllCiv·Legis1
·

S. 5565

BillFederalSenateIn Committee
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.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · September 24, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Introduced
September 24, 2026
Cosponsors (19)
18D 0R
View PDF ↗

Summary

Highlight any text to annotate
This bill would eliminate a long-standing federal restriction on using U.S. foreign aid money to fund abortion services overseas. Currently, the "Helms amendment," a provision in place since 1973, prohibits U.S. foreign assistance from being used to pay for abortion care in other countries. The legislation would remove this ban and explicitly authorize the use of federal foreign aid funds for comprehensive reproductive health services, including abortion procedures, training for providers, and medical equipment needed to deliver safe abortion care. The bill affects developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where supporters argue that unsafe abortion procedures cause thousands of deaths annually. According to the bill's findings, allowing U.S. funding for safe abortion services in countries where abortion is already legal could prevent millions of unsafe abortions and thousands of maternal deaths each year, though the legislation does not specify new funding amounts or implementation timelines.

Take Action

Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.