S 5565: Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2026

S 5565 in plain English: This bill would treat abortion as a form of health care in the context of U.S. foreign policy and foreign assistance, aiming to remove restrictions on funding or support for abortion services abroad. The bill notes that the annual cost of post-abortion care for those who need it is $2.3 billion.

Stated purpose

This bill aims to change U.S. foreign aid law to allow federal funds to be used for abortion services as part of reproductive health care programs in other countries. It seeks to repeal or modify the Helms Amendment, which has since 1973 prohibited U.S. foreign assistance from paying for abortions abroad.

Key points

• Classifies abortion as health care under U.S. foreign policy and assistance programs
• Cites $2.3 billion as the annual global cost of post-abortion care
• Targets restrictions on U.S. foreign aid related to abortion services

Arguments supporters make

• Unsafe abortions kill tens of thousands of people in developing countries each year, and allowing U.S. aid to fund safe abortion care could prevent those deaths
• Restricting abortion access through foreign aid rules does not reduce the number of abortions — it only makes them more dangerous for those who seek them
• The U.S. already funds reproductive and maternal health programs abroad, and excluding abortion creates gaps in care that harm the people those programs are meant to help

Arguments opponents make

• U.S. taxpayers who morally oppose abortion should not have their money used to fund abortion procedures in foreign countries
• Congress has maintained this restriction through administrations of both parties for over 50 years, reflecting a long-standing policy consensus that foreign aid should not pay for abortions
• Funding abortion abroad could undermine the sovereignty of countries that have chosen to restrict it under their own laws, and may conflict with cultural and religious values of recipient communities

Tradeoffs

Allowing U.S. foreign aid to cover abortion services could reduce unsafe abortions and maternal deaths abroad, but requires taxpayer funding of a procedure that a significant portion of Americans consider morally objectionable. Repealing the Helms Amendment expands the scope of U.S. foreign health programs while removing a restriction that has been U.S. policy for more than five decades.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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