Daily Beast: Time for U.S. to Support Abortion for Rape Victims in Other Countries
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federal of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund

“…[T]he U.S. needs to end a 40-year-old policy that blocks women in other countries from accessing abortion. This law, known as the Helms Amendment (named after its sponsor, North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms), prevents U.S. global health programs from supporting abortion ‘as a method of family planning.’ Since the law’s inception in 1973, the U.S. government has made a bad situation worse by wrongly implementing the Helms Amendment as a total ban on abortion — even in cases of incest, rape, and life endangerment. … Ultimately, we must get rid of the Helms Amendment entirely, which will require congressional action. In the meantime, the administration should take an important step to resolve this crisis today by implementing the policy correctly…” (10/17).