Bill Summary
The "Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act" is proposed legislation aimed at restricting the availability of federal funds to organizations associated with the abortion industry. It seeks to codify the Mexico City Policy, which has been implemented and rescinded by various presidential administrations since its introduction in 1984.
Key provisions of the bill include:
1. **Funding Restrictions**: Federal funds would not be available to foreign and domestic nonprofit organizations that perform or promote abortions, provide related referrals or counseling, or financially support entities involved in such activities.
2. **Expanded Scope**: The legislation proposes to extend these restrictions to all forms of U.S. global health assistance and to include both foreign and domestic organizations, ensuring that any entity receiving federal funds maintains a clear separation from abortion-related activities.
3. **Consistency Across Administrations**: By codifying the policy, the bill aims to prevent future inconsistencies that arise when different administrations change the policy regarding funding related to abortion services.
Overall, this legislation reflects ongoing debates in the U.S. regarding federal funding and access to abortion services, particularly in the context of foreign assistance.
Possible Impacts
The "Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act," as described in the provided legislation, could affect people in various ways. Here are three examples:
1. **Reduced Access to Reproductive Health Services**: Organizations that provide comprehensive reproductive health services, including family planning and abortion services, may lose federal funding. This could lead to a decrease in the availability of safe and legal abortion services, counseling, and healthcare in regions that rely on these organizations for reproductive health. Consequently, individuals in those areas may face limited options for family planning, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancies and associated health complications.
2. **Impact on Organizations' Operations**: Nonprofits and NGOs that rely on federal funds for their operations may be forced to either stop providing certain services related to reproductive health or risk losing their funding altogether. This could lead to layoffs, budget cuts, and reduced services, negatively impacting not only the organizations themselves but also the communities they serve. Those in need of reproductive health services may find their local resources diminished or eliminated.
3. **Legal and Administrative Complications**: The legislation could create complex legal and administrative challenges for organizations seeking federal funding. Organizations may need to navigate stringent regulations to ensure compliance, such as maintaining complete physical and financial separation from any abortion-related activities. This could lead to confusion and a chilling effect on organizations that might otherwise provide essential health services, as they grapple with the risk of losing funding if they inadvertently violate the law. Additionally, organizations may divert resources away from providing services to focus on legal compliance, further affecting the support available to the community.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 250 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 250
To restrict the availability of Federal funds to organizations
associated with the abortion industry.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 24, 2025
Mr. Lee (for himself, Mr. Budd, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Kennedy, Mr.
Cramer, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Banks, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr.
Cornyn, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Young, and Mr. Johnson)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To restrict the availability of Federal funds to organizations
associated with the abortion industry.
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 ``Protecting Life in Foreign
Assistance Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued the Mexico City
Policy, which prohibits foreign nongovernmental associations
from performing or promoting abortions as a condition of
receiving United States family planning assistance.
(2) In 1993, President Bill Clinton rescinded the Mexico
City Policy.
(3) In 2001, President George W. Bush reinstated the Mexico
City Policy.
(4) In 2009, President Barack Obama rescinded the Mexico
City Policy.
(5) In 2017, President Donald Trump reinstated the Mexico
City Policy upon taking office, renamed it Protecting Life in
Global Health Assistance, and expanded it to cover all United
States global health assistance funds granted to foreign
nongovernmental organizations.
(6) In 2021, President Joe Biden rescinded the Protecting
Life in Global Health Assistance Policy.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that:--
(1) the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy
should be expanded to cover funding to foreign and domestic
nongovernmental organizations, multilateral organizations, and
subcontractors; and
(2) Congress should codify this policy to prevent further
inconsistency between presidential administrations.
SEC. 3. RESTRICTION ON AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL FUNDS.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
Federal funds may not be made available for purposes outside of the
United States (including its territories and possessions) to--
(1) any foreign nonprofit organization, foreign
nongovernmental organization, foreign multilateral
organization, or foreign quasi-autonomous nongovernmental
organization that--
(A) performs or promotes abortions, including
providing referrals, counseling, lobbying, and training
relating to abortions;
(B) furnishes or develops any item intended to
procure abortions; or
(C) provides financial support to--
(i) any entity that conducts any of the
activities described in subparagraph (A) or
(B); or
(ii) any entity described in paragraph (2);
or
(2) any domestic nonprofit organization or domestic
nongovernmental organization that--
(A) performs abortions;
(B) furnishes or develops any item intended to
procure abortions;
(C) within the scope of any program or activity
that receives Federal funds--
(i) performs or promotes abortions,
including providing referrals, counseling,
lobbying, and training relating to abortions;
or
(ii) fails to maintain a complete physical
and financial separation from activities
described in clause (i) and such failure
includes co-locating such a program or activity
at any site where activities described in
clause (i) are conducted; or
(D) provides financial support to--
(i) any entity that conducts activities
described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C); or
(ii) any entity described in paragraph (1).
(b) Inclusions.--The prohibitions described in subsection (a)
include the transfer of Federal funds and goods financed with such
funds.
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