The American Values Act would permanently codify and expand restrictions on how certain U.S. funds may be used in relation to abortion and involuntary sterilization. Specifically, it would amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to bar: - using foreign aid funds to pay for abortions or to coerce someone to have an abortion; - using funds for involuntary sterilization or to provide incentives for sterilization; - funding biomedical research that relates to abortions or involuntary sterilization as a family‑planning method; - funding lobbying for or against abortion; and - funding organizations or programs that, as determined by the President, participate in coercive abortion or sterilization programs. It also extends a similar prohibition to the Peace Corps, prohibiting funds to pay for abortions there, subject to a preexisting appropriation act provision (Division E, 2014 Public Law 113‑76, section 614). The bill aims to make these restrictions permanent rather than temporary or annual.
Key Points
- 1Permanently codifies the abortion and involuntary sterilization funding restrictions in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (Section 104(f)).
- 2Prohibits funds for abortion as family planning, coercion of individuals to obtain abortions, involuntary sterilization or coercive sterilization incentives, related biomedical research, and lobbying on abortion.
- 3Applies a human-rights/anti-coercion standard by allowing the President to determine which organizations or programs are involved in coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.
- 4Extends similar restrictions to the Peace Corps regarding abortion funding, with a linkage to the 2014 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act rider (Section 614).
- 5The bill is introduced in the Senate (as S. 334) and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations; the sponsor list includes several named senators (e.g., Risch, Marshall, Paul, Scott, Mullin, Blackburn, Daines, Hagerty, Cruz, etc.).