Abortion rights activists call for reproductive rights at a protest in Washington, D.C. The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act (AHCE Act) would repeal the Helms Amendment, a 50-year-old policy which prevents U.S. foreign assistance from funding abortion. CREDIT: Jon Garr for Fòs Feminista
We call on our allies in Congress to stand up for the health and rights of people worldwide.
New York, NY — Today, Representative Schakowsky (D-IL) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act (AHCE Act). This critical legislation would repeal the Helms Amendment, which prevents U.S. foreign assistance from funding abortion. It has been interpreted as a total abortion ban, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the pregnant person is at risk. The AHCE Act also includes a progressive statement of policy that establishes safe abortion as a critical component of comprehensive health care and states the U.S. government’s commitment to ending unsafe abortion and supporting access to safe abortion services.
The Helms Amendment creates an inhumane choice between U.S. foreign assistance and basic health care and human rights. Over 40 countries have modernized their abortion laws since the passage of the Helms Amendment, placing the U.S. restrictions even further out of step with the countries receiving U.S. foreign assistance. If the amendment were repealed by the AHCE Act and people were able to access safe abortion services there would be approximately 19 million fewer unsafe abortions and 17,000 fewer maternal deaths.
Fadekemi (Kemi) Akinfaderin, the Chief Global Advocacy Officer at Fòs Feminista, released the following statement celebrating the bicameral introduction of the AHCE Act:
“Feminists in the U.S. and around the world are thrilled to see both chambers of the U.S. Congress introduce the AHCE Act. We applaud Representative Schakowsky’s and Senator Booker’s courage to champion this necessary solution to repeal a decades-old policy that for 50 years has forced countries to choose between U.S. foreign assistance funding and offering their people the full range of reproductive health services.
“The Helms Amendment wrongfully restricts access to abortion in countries all over the world, including those that are intentionally liberalizing their abortion laws by singling out abortion as a restricted health service under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Helms Amendment reinforces efforts to criminalize abortion and heightens abortion-related stigma.
“As leaders in the global feminist movement, we demand the U.S. Congress pass the AHCE Act without delay to finally stand up for the health and rights of people around the world. We call on our allies in the U.S. Congress to make good on their promises to do everything in their power to protect reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court of the United States overturning Roe v. Wade.
“We recognize that passing the AHCE Act to repeal the Helms Amendment will not be an easy task. Accordingly, we are lending our allies in the U.S. Congress every ounce of strength within the vibrant global feminist movement. In return, we are asking for their courage to stand up and fight alongside us. As we watch the U.S. government strip human rights from its own people, we are demanding a fraction of the bravery we see from feminist activists globally whose work persists in the face of harmful policies like the Helms Amendment.
“Access to safe and legal abortion care is a fundamental human right. No one should be denied the full range of reproductive health services due to restrictive policies. It is well past time to pass the AHCE Act.”
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Fòs Feminista is an international feminist alliance centered around sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice for women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Together with more than 220 organizations in 40 countries worldwide, we engage in healthcare, education, and advocacy to advance our agenda. This includes providing sexual and reproductive health services and implementing community-based strategies that make sexual and reproductive healthcare more accessible to women, girls, and others at the margins. We also engage young people with comprehensive sexuality education and provide care to survivors of gender-based violence. We stand alongside our partners in the streets, in the courts, and in other advocacy spaces as an unapologetically feminist voice, resisting injustice and advocating for gender equality and reproductive rights locally and globally.
Contact: mboldt@mrss.com
