Pressley, Schakowsky, Booker, Colleagues Reintroduce Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act to Repeal Harmful Helms Amendment

September 28, 2026 Pressley, Schakowsky, Booker, Colleagues Reintroduce Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act to Repeal Harmful Helms Amendment On International Safe Abortion Day, Lawmakers Renew Effort to Expand Access to Abortion Care Around the World Bill Text (PDF) BOSTON – Today, on International Safe Abortion Day, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) – alongside Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Norma Torres (CA-35), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) – reintroduced the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, legislation that would repeal the harmful Helms Amendment and ensure U.S. foreign assistance can support comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care. More than 80 House Members have joined the effort. “For decades, the reproductive health of millions of people—especially those in developing nations—has suffered as a result of the Helms Amendment barring U.S. foreign assistance from going to NGOs and clinics that provide abortion care,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Co-Chair of the House Reproductive Freedom Caucus. “U.S. foreign aid to support health care in other countries falls desperately short by excluding reproductive health, and reinforces the criminalization and stigmatization of abortion care and reproductive health at home and abroad. This Administration’s cruel approach to gutting foreign aid has cost people around the globe their lives. The United States must reverse course, reinvest in foreign aid, and treat reproductive care as essential care.” “Abortion is health care, no matter where you live. For nearly 50 years, the racist, harmful Helms Amendment has blocked U.S. foreign assistance from supporting abortion care, even where abortion is legal. That is wrong,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “Today, on International Safe Abortion Day and every day, we must stand with people around the world who deserve the freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies and their futures. The A bortion is Health Care Everywhere Act will repeal Helms and help make reproductive health care accessible to everyone, everywhere.” “For more than 50 years, the Helms Amendment has restricted the use of U.S. foreign assistance for abortion care, with real consequences for women around the world,” said Senator Cory Booker. “Women are turned away from safe care and denied information and counseling about their options. Providers are forced to treat abortion differently from other essential health services. That is not a policy grounded in science, compassion, or dignity. The Abortion Is Health Care Everywhere Ac t would end these restrictions and make clear that U.S. global health assistance can support comprehensive reproductive health care, including safe abortion care.” “The right to decide what is best for your body, health and family should not be dictated by borders,” said Congresswoman Diana DeGette, Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus. “The Helms Amendment is a draconian policy that has blocked access to essential health care for far too long. It’s time that Congress acts and ensures that no matter what community she calls home, every woman can access the full range of health care she needs — including abortion care.” “Health care should not depend on your ZIP code, your income, or the country you call home,” said Congresswoman Norma Torres. “For more than 50 years, the Helms Amendment has denied people around the world access to comprehensive reproductive health care. The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act is important because every woman deserves the freedom to make decisions about her own body, health, and future.” “As MAGA extremists unleash their assault on women’s rights, it is imperative to ensure reproductive health care for all,” said Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland. “The Helms Amendment makes it impossible for millions of women across the globe to seek reproductive care – including routine preventative screenings – barring economic mobility and worsening the maternal health crisis. I am introducing the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act with Representative Schakowsky and over 80 of my colleagues today to repeal Helms, ensure equality, and continue the fight for women’s rights worldwide.” The Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act would repeal the Helms Amendment and replace it with language authorizing U.S. foreign assistance for comprehensive reproductive health care services, including abortion services, training, and equipment. The legislation is endorsed by leading reproductive health, global health, and human rights organizations. Text of the bill can be accessed here . “With the Trump Administration undermining foreign aid for sexual and reproductive health care, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Repealing the Helms Amendment, which has long prohibited U.S. support for abortion services around the world, is a critical step toward ensuring people everywhere can access safe abortion care,” said Kelly Baden, Vice President of US Policy & Communications, Guttmacher Institute. “We thank Sen. Booker, Rep. Schakowsky and their co-leads for introducing the Abortion Is Health Care Everywhere Act. Guttmacher’s research makes the impact clear: ending Helms and supporting health care systems around the globe would avert 19 million unsafe abortions and 17,000 maternal deaths annually.” “For more than 50 years, the Helms Amendment has denied people around the world reproductive freedom. It undermines global health and human rights. It’s an archaic remnant of U.S. abortion politics that has always been completely divorced from the reality of the lives of the people it harms,” said Brian Dixon, Sr. Vice President, Population Connection Action Fund. “It’s long past time to repeal this disgraceful law and we are grateful to Senator Booker and Congresswoman Schakowsky for introducing this important legislation. We look forward to its passage.” “Everyone deserves to be able to get the healthcare they need when they need it,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “For over 50 years, the Helms Amendment has put safe abortion care out of reach for people around the world served by U.S. foreign assistance, including global health, gender-based violence, and humanitarian programs. As we continue to fight back against abortion bans and restrictions in the U.S., we must also work to expand access and eliminate barriers abroad. We’re thankful to Rep. Schakowsky, Sen. Booker, and their co-leads for their leadership in expanding access to essential healthcare.” “Comprehensive abortion care is health care. That is not a political assertion, it is a public health reality,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, President and CEO, PAI. “When safe abortion care is not available, abortions do not stop. They become more dangerous, contributing to preventable maternal death and morbidity. For more than 50 years, the Helms Amendment has restricted U.S. foreign assistance for this care, putting women’s health and lives at risk. U.S. global health policy should be grounded in evidence and focused on preventing needless maternal deaths and illness. It’s time for Congress to pass the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act and repeal Helms.” The Helms Amendment was first enacted in 1973 and restricts U.S. foreign assistance from being used for abortion as a method of family planning. In her time serving in Congress, Rep. Pressley has fought persistently to protect and advance reproductive justice and ensure fundamental life-saving reproductive health care for all. In September 2026, Rep. Pressley reintroduced the Affordability is Access Act , would require insurers to fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any fees or out-of-pocket costs In July 2026, alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Representatives Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), led more than 250 Senate and House Democrats in filing an amicus brief to the Fifth Circuit in Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) focused on pushing back against Louisiana’s attempt to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone. In July 2026, in recognition of the 250th anniversary of American independence and the work still to be done to create a nation that lives up to the founding ideals of liberty and justice for all, Rep. Pressley, alongside Representatives Lateefah Simon and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, introduced the America 250 Reproductive Justice Resolution . In June 2026, in marking the fourth anniversary of the devastating Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley uplifted and engaged families impacted by Republicans attacks on abortion care and issued a call to action to restore and expand access to abortion care, birth control, IVF, and true reproductive freedom. In June 2026, during a speech on the House floor, Rep. Pressley commanded a moment of silence to honor those who have died because they were denied essential abortion care. In June 2026, Rep. Pressley led a press conference with House Democratic Leadership to mark the fourth anniversary of the devastating Supreme Court Dobbs decision and offer her vision of seeing true reproductive justice realized and essential reproductive healthcare protected and expanded. In June 2026, Rep. Pressley joined impacted individuals and abortion storytellers to initiate a powerful day of action for the fourth anniversary of the devastating Dobbs decision, offering a message of resilient community support and a commitment to ensure abortion care is treated as the fundamental human right it is. Video is available here . On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley introduced the Abortion Justice Act , sweeping, intersectional legislation to address access to abortion care and put forth a comprehensive vision of a just America where abortion care is readily available—without stigma, shame or systemic barriers—for all who seek it, regardless of zip code, immigration status, income, or background. Rep. Pressley is a lead co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), bicameral federal legislation to guarantee equal access to abortion care, everywhere. Rep. Pressley is also a lead co-sponsor of the EACH Act , bold legislation to repeal the Hyde Amendment and help guarantee abortion coverage—regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance. Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide. Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts. Rep. Pressley has been outspoken in demanding justice for Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant mother who was declared brain dead in February and was forced to remain on life support due to Georgia’s abortion ban. In June 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned floor speech in which she underscored that Adriana’s case is far too common in the unjust history of denying Black women their dignity, humanity, and right to bodily autonomy – and that GOP abortion bans such as Georgia’s deepen this pain and bar critical healthcare freedom. Rep. Pressley issued a statement after Adriana’s infant son Chance was delivered via emergency Cesarean section and Adriana was taken off life support. In May 2026, Pressley and her colleagues led 250 House and Senate Democrats in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging them to overturn a Fifth Circuit decision that would upend the FDA approval process and restrict access to mifepristone. On August 18, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the passage of the updated Shield Act in Massachusetts, signed into law by Governor Maura Healey this month. The expanded Shield Act strengthens legal protections for people seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care in Massachusetts. On July 3, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the final passage of Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill that will rip healthcare and food assistance away from millions of people, including in Massachusetts, push reproductive healthcare further out of reach nationwide, and fuel Trump’s unlawful mass deportation agenda. On July 1, 2025, Rep. Pressley filed an amendment to Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill to protect and expand reproductive healthcare. On June 26, 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the harmful Medina v. Planned Parenthood ruling, the Supreme Court’s decision to allow South Carolina to bar Medicaid patients from receiving healthcare services at Planned Parenthood. On June 24, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined House Democratic Leadership for a press conference to mark the somber anniversary and renew her calls for comprehensive legislation to protect abortion care and expand access to reproductive healthcare. On June 23, 2025, Rep. Pressley and the women of the Massachusetts delegation, Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03) joined Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts President Dominique Lee for a press conference in solidarity with Planned Parenthood as they collectively fight to stop Republicans’ latest attack on reproductive freedom in the GOP’s Big, Ugly Bill. In June 2025, Rep. Pressley demanded justice for Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant mother who was declared brain dead in February and was forced to remain on life support due to Georgia’s abortion ban. On May 29, 2025, Rep. Pressley reintroduced a resolution demanding equitable access to reproductive and sexual healthcare for people with disabilities, and designating a day in May as “Disability Reproductive Equity Day.” On May 21, 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful speech on the House Floor in which she slammed Republicans’ reconciliation bill that would slash Medicaid, which is necessary to ensuring safe, healthy reproductive care and maternal health nationwide. On April 3, 2025, Rep. Pressley, alongside Reps. DeGette, Chu, Leger Fernández, Fletcher, Davids, Williams, sent a letter signed by 162 Members urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and coordinate an urgent meeting on the matter. On April 2, 2025, Rep. Pressley rallied with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), colleagues, and advocates outside the U.S. Supreme Court for Medicaid patients’ ability to access routine care at Planned Parenthood health centers. On March 5, 2025, Rep. Pressley and the Reproductive Freedom Caucus issued a statement condemning Donald Trump’s plans to drop the U.S. government’s case against Idaho’s violation of Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) protections for emergency abortion care. In January 2025, Rep. Pressley gave an impassioned speech condemning H.R. 21, Republicans’ cruel anti-abortion bill that criminalizes providers and denies families care. In January 2025, Rep. Pressley was announced as Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus for the 119 th Congress. In October 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on Josseli Barnica, who died on Sept. 3, 2021 after being denied emergency abortion care in Texas as she suffered a miscarriage. In September 2024, in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Hearing, Rep. Pressley highlighted the harmful and deadly impact of abortion bans in America to date, and outlined in detail the shameful circumstances under which Amber Nicole Thurman died after being denied necessary abortion care in Georgia. In May 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on a Louisiana bill that would classify medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances. In April 2024, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley played “Fact or Fiction” with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf to emphasize the safety and efficacy of medication abortion drug mifepristone. Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide. Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts. In August 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to help people with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—get better access to reproductive health care and the informed care they need to control their own reproductive lives. In July 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter birth control. In May 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the FDA Advisory Committee’s unanimous, 17-0 vote to recommend the approval of the first-ever application for over-the-counter birth control. She and Senator Murray also held a press conference applauding the decision and urging the FDA to approval over-the-counter birth control without delay. In May 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Ami Bera, MD (CA-06) and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), reintroduced their bicameral Affordability is Access Act to ensure that once the FDA determines an over-the-counter birth control option to be safe, insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any fees or out-of-pocket costs. In April 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Texas court ruling on mifepristone, and discussed the Texas case in a recent floor speech in which she affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care and access to mifepristone as essential. She later joined Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabth Warren (D-MA), and local leaders in announcing action to protect Mifepristone in Massachusetts. In March 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Schakowsky, Lee, DeGette, Torres and Strickland, reintroduced the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act harmful and discriminatory Helms Amendment and expand abortion access globally. In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Hirono led their colleagues in reintroducing a bicameral congressional resolution honoring abortion providers and clinic staff. In March 2023, Rep. Pressley delivered a speech in which she discussed the pending court case in Texas, which aims to restrict access to medication abortion across the entire nation. In her remarks, Rep. Pressley affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care, and accessibility to the abortion pill mifepristone as essential. In September 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s inaction on SB-8, Texas’ restrictive abortion law. Later that month, she participated in a House Oversight Committee hearing to examine the threat posed by abortion bans and underscored the urgency of the Senate passing the Women’s Health Protection Act. In April 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Congresswomen Barbara Lee (CA-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), led a group of 131 Democratic members in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act or the EACH Act, which would repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure that all people, regardless of income, insurance or zip code, can make personal reproductive health care decisions without interference from politicians. She re-Introduced the legislation In January 2023. Rep. Pressley has led calls in Congress for the FDA to remove medically unnecessary restrictions on the medication abortion drug mifepristone, and applauded the FDA’s action in January 2023 to allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion medication pills. As Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Congresswoman Pressley led the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendments from annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills and in July 2020 published a Medium post on the importance of doing so. She applauded the removal of the Hyde Amendment in President Biden’s FY2022 budget. In May 2020, she led more than 155 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages rejected Republican efforts to use the public health crisis to diminish abortion access. In August 2021, Rep. Pressley, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, and Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette and Barbara Lee led more than 70 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing a resolution in support of equitable, science-based policies governing access to medication abortion care. In January 2023, Rep. Pressley introduced a resolution to condemn all forms of political violence in the U.S., regardless of its target or intent. That same day, she delivered a powerful speech on the House floor slamming Republicans’ harmful, misleading anti-abortion resolution. In September 2022, Rep. Pressley hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester for a convening on their work to address the Black maternal health crisis and the criminalization of abortion care in states across the nation following the harmful U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. In May 2019, she led more than 100 colleagues in introducing H.Con.Res.40 , a resolution reaffirming the House of Representative’s support for Roe v. Wade. In June 2019, Rep. Pressley introduced H.R. 3296, the Affordability is Access Act , to make oral contraception available without a prescription. In September 2016, as a member of the Boston City Council, Pressley championed a resolution calling on Congress and President Obama to repeal the Hyde Amendment and reinstate insurance coverage for abortion services. ### Back to News Next Article Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email