Abortion is a human right and essential healthcare. Everywhere.
Every year, about 35 million unsafe abortions take place around the world.
The Helms Amendment, a U.S. policy named after racist former Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC), directly contributes to these unsafe abortions, millions of injuries, and tens of thousands of preventable maternal deaths globally. The Helms Amendment has, since 1973, prohibited any U.S. foreign assistance funding to be used for abortion care as a method of family planning except in the cases of rape, incest or life endangerment. However, this policy has been over-implemented by the U.S. government and functions as a total ban on abortion in foreign assistance.
On July 27, 2022, Senators Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Mazie Hirono, and Tina Smith introduced the first ever Senate bill that would repeal this deadly policy: the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act (H.R. 1670/S. 4641).
Fòs Feminista has developed a fact sheet that covers the policy and legislative context for the Helms Amendment, describes how it is out of step with international movements and standards, and outlines the impacts of abortion restrictions on health outcomes.
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