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House Passes Legislation to Fight Aids, Curb Abortions

Press Release

Date: June 22, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Abortion Reproduction


HOUSE PASSES LEGISLATION TO FIGHT AIDS, CURB ABORTIONS

U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) applauded the passage of the Lowey amendment to the FY 2008 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations. The Lowey amendment, which passed the House by a vote of 223 to 201, will reduce abortions, unintended pregnancies and combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide.

"I am pleased the House passed legislation last night in favor of common-sense family planning to prevent abortions, curb unintended pregnancies, save the lives of mothers, and fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic," said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky. "This amendment finally lifts the ban on providing life-saving contraceptives to men and women in poor countries to prevent unintended and dangerous pregnancies."

In 1984, President Reagan announced the Mexico City Policy, which required NGOs to agree as a condition of their receipt of U.S. funds that they would neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations. The Mexico City Policy was rescinded in January1993, but then President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in January 2001.

Last night, the House approved an amendment introduced by Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) that allows international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which do not comply with the Mexico City Policy to receive donated contraceptives for millions of men and women who desperately need them. Providing contraceptives could prevent 52 million unwanted pregnancies; an estimated 29 million abortions; 142,000 pregnancy-related deaths; and 505,000 children from losing their mothers in just one year.

"I urge the Senate to preserve this provision and the President to this bill into law to give the poorest of the poor around the world access to life-saving contraceptives," said Congresswoman Schakowsky. "We should allow people to have access to the same family planning practices in the third world that we use in our own country."


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