Banning Abortion Funding is Good Foreign Policy

In 1973, the U.S. passed the Helms Amendment barring U.S. foreign aid from funding abortions or motivating anyone to commit abortion. Some now argue to ignore or reinterpret Helms to fund abortions in certain cases. They misrepresent international humanitarian law to claim a right to abortion for rape in disaster/conflict situations even in countries where abortion is illegal.

This would open the door to abortion with no restrictions or safeguards, since monitoring would be virtually impossible, especially in regions that lack basic sanitation and health care.

It would imperil humanitarian efforts, endanger women, stigmatize children already outcast from society and discriminate against faith-based groups that won’t do abortions.

Abortion may discard evidence of a crime, but doesn’t erase women’s pain and stigma. Aid should focus on assisting women and their children with medical and economic challenges, and to rise above their outcast status.