H.R. 4888

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4888 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4888

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require a section on 
reproductive rights in the Annual Country Reports on Human Rights 
Practices, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

August 5, 2025

Ms. Johnson of Texas (for herself, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. McCollum, Mr. 
Doggett, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Peters, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
Auchincloss, Ms. Brownley, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. 
Torres of New York, Ms. Budzinski, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Elfreth, 
Mr. Takano, Ms. Tokuda, Mrs. Torres of California, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Ross, 
Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Whitesides, Ms. Craig, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. 
DeGette, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. 
Johnson of Georgia, Ms. DelBene, Mrs. Fletcher, Ms. Crockett, Mr. 
Norcross, Ms. Simon, Mr. Soto, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. DeSaulnier, 
Mr. McGovern, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Balint, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. 
Davids of Kansas, Mrs. McClain Delaney, Mr. Amo, Ms. McBride, and Mr. 
Garcia of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require a section on 
reproductive rights in the Annual Country Reports on Human Rights 
Practices, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Reproductive Rights are Human Rights 
Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States has joined the international 
community in identifying reproductive rights as human rights, 
including in connection with the 1994 International Conference 
on Population and Development, the 1995 Beijing World 
Conference on Women, and through its ratification of the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, done at 
New York December 19, 1966 (referred to in this Act as 
``ICCPR''), the International Convention on the Elimination of 
All Forms of Racial Discrimination, done at New York December 
21, 1965, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, 
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at New York 
December 10, 1984.
(2) General comment No. 36 (2018) on article 6 of the 
ICCPR, which was adopted by the Human Rights Committee on 
October 30, 2018, asserts that States parties--
(A) should ensure access for all persons to quality 
and evidence-based information and education about 
sexual and reproductive health and to a wide range of 
affordable contraceptive methods;
(B) must provide safe, legal, and effective access 
to abortion where the life and health of the pregnant 
woman or girl is at risk, or where carrying a pregnancy 
to term would cause the pregnant woman or girl 
substantial pain or suffering, most notably where 
pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or is not 
viable;
(C) ensure the availability of, and effective 
access to, quality prenatal and post-abortion health 
care for women and girls; and
(D) must not impose restrictions on the ability of 
women or girls to seek abortion in a manner that 
jeopardizes their lives, subjects them to physical or 
mental pain or suffering, discriminates against them, 
arbitrarily interferes with their privacy, or places 
them at risk of undertaking unsafe abortions.
(3) The World Health Organization (WHO) Abortion Care 
Guidelines (2022) asserts comprehensive abortion care includes 
the provision of information, abortion management (including 
induced abortion), and care related to pregnancy loss/
spontaneous abortion and post-abortion care, and requires 
supportive law and policy including--
(A) full decriminalization of abortion;
(B) repeal of laws and regulations that restrict 
abortion by reasons, prohibit abortion based on 
gestational limits, and require mandatory waiting 
periods;
(C) availability of abortion on the request of the 
woman, girl or other pregnant person and without the 
need for authorization from any other person, body, or 
institution;
(D) ending regulations that limit who can provide 
and manage abortion care that are inconsistent with WHO 
guidance; and
(E) protection of abortion access from barriers 
created by conscientious refusal.
(4) Reproductive coercion, which is any behavior that 
interferes with autonomous decision making about reproductive 
health outcomes, is a violation of human rights.
(5) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and 
intersex persons (LGBTQI+) face stigma and discrimination in 
accessing reproductive health services, and barriers, including 
anti-LGBTQI+ laws, policies, and gender norms in countries. The 
denial of access to sexual and reproductive health care and 
associated human rights violations due to these barriers should 
be reported in relevant Department of State Annual Country 
Reports on Human Rights Practices.
(6) People with disabilities have historically been 
subjected to forced sterilization and coercive abortion 
practices, eugenics, institutionalization or guardianship 
practices that stripped them of their right to autonomy, and 
barriers to comprehensive reproductive care, including denial 
of fertility care, access to comprehensive sex education, 
contraception, and abortion care, and often face disrespect 
during pregnancy and birth. The denial of access to sexual and 
reproductive health care and associated human rights violations 
due to these barriers should be reported in relevant Department 
of State Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
(7) Human rights are grounded in international standards. 
The Department of State's deletion of the reproductive rights 
subsection from its 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2024 Country Reports 
on Human Rights Practices inappropriately politicized human 
rights of people around the world.
(8) The dismantling of the United States Agency for 
International Development (USAID) will severely undermine 
global reproductive health outcomes by disrupting funding for 
contraception, maternal healthcare, and safe childbirth 
services. USAID's programs are critical in reducing maternal 
and infant mortality, preventing unintended pregnancies, and 
ensuring access to care for marginalized communities worldwide.
(9) Limiting reproductive rights also limits pathways to 
economic, social, and political empowerment. Sexual and 
reproductive health and rights are essential for sustainable 
economic development, are intrinsically linked to gender 
equality and women's well-being, and are critical to community 
health.

SEC. 3. ANNUAL COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES.

(a) In General.--The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 
et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 116(d) (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d)), by amending 
paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) the status of reproductive rights in each country, 
including--
``(A) whether such country has adopted and enforced 
policies--
``(i) to promote access to safe, effective, 
and affordable methods of contraception and 
comprehensive, accurate, nondiscriminatory 
family planning and sexual health information;
``(ii) to promote access to a full range of 
quality health care services to ensure safe and 
healthy pregnancy and childbirth free from 
violence and discrimination;
``(iii) to promote the equitable 
prevention, detection, and treatment of 
sexually transmitted infections, including HIV 
and HPV, and of reproductive tract infections 
and reproductive cancers; and
``(iv) to expand or restrict access to safe 
abortion services or post-abortion care, or to 
criminalize pregnancy-related outcomes, 
including spontaneous miscarriages or 
pregnancies outside of marriage;
``(B) a description of the rates and causes of 
pregnancy-related injuries and deaths, including deaths 
due to unsafe abortions;
``(C) a description of--
``(i) the nature and extent of instances of 
discrimination, coercion, and violence against 
women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals in all 
settings where health care is provided, 
including in detention;
``(ii) the nature and extent of instances 
of discrimination, coercion, and violence 
against people with disabilities in all 
settings where reproductive health care is 
provided, including in institutions and 
detention settings;
``(iii) instances of obstetric violence, 
involuntary or coerced abortion, involuntary or 
coerced pregnancy, coerced sterilization, use 
of incentives or disincentives to lower or 
raise fertility, withholding of information on 
reproductive health options, and other forms of 
reproductive and sexual coercion; and
``(iv) the actions, if any, taken by the 
government of such country to respond to such 
discrimination, coercion, and violence, if 
applicable;
``(D) a description of--
``(i) the proportion of individuals of 
reproductive age (15 through 49 years of age) 
whose need for family planning is satisfied 
with modern methods;
``(ii) the barriers such individuals face 
in accessing such services;
``(iii) the nature and extent of instances 
of denial of comprehensive and accurate family 
planning information and services in such 
country; and
``(iv) the actions, if any, taken by the 
government of such country to address such 
denials; and
``(E) a description of--
``(i) disparities in access to family 
planning and reproductive health services and 
pregnancy-related health outcomes, including 
pregnancy-related injuries and deaths, based on 
race, ethnicity, indigenous status, language, 
religious affiliation, age, marital status, 
disability, sexual orientation and gender 
identity, or other marginalized identity; and
``(ii) any measures taken by the government 
of such country to hold health systems 
accountable for addressing such disparities;''; 
and
(2) in section 502B (22 U.S.C. 2304)--
(A) by redesignating the second subsection (i) 
(relating to child marriage status) as subsection (j); 
and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(k) Inclusion of Status of Reproductive Rights in Annual Country 
Reports on Human Rights Practices.--The report required under 
subsection (b) shall include a description of the status of 
reproductive rights in each country, including--
``(1) whether such country has adopted and enforced 
policies--
``(A) to promote access to safe, effective, and 
affordable methods of contraception and comprehensive, 
accurate, non-discriminatory family planning and sexual 
health information;
``(B) to promote access to a full range of quality 
health care services to ensure safe and healthy 
pregnancy and childbirth, free from violence and 
discrimination;
``(C) to promote the equitable prevention, 
detection, and treatment of sexually transmitted 
infections, including HIV and HPV, and of reproductive 
tract infections and reproductive cancers; and
``(D) to expand or restrict access to safe abortion 
services or post-abortion care, or criminalize 
pregnancy-related outcomes, including spontaneous 
miscarriages and pregnancies outside of marriage;
``(2) a description of the rates and causes of pregnancy-
related injuries and deaths, including deaths due to unsafe 
abortions;
``(3) a description of--
``(A) the nature and extent of instances of 
discrimination, coercion, and violence against women, 
girls and LGBTQI+ individuals in all settings where 
health care is provided, including in detention;
``(B) instances of coerced abortion, coerced 
pregnancy, coerced sterilization, use of incentives or 
disincentives to lower or raise fertility, withholding 
of information on reproductive health options, and 
other forms of reproductive and sexual coercion; and
``(C) the actions, if any, taken by the government 
of such country to respond to such discrimination, 
coercion, and violence, if applicable;
``(4) a description of--
``(A) the proportion of individuals of reproductive 
age (15 through 49 years of age) whose need for family 
planning is satisfied with modern methods;
``(B) the barriers such individuals face in 
accessing such services;
``(C) the nature and extent of instances of denial 
of comprehensive and accurate family planning 
information and services in such country; and
``(D) the actions, if any, taken by the government 
of such country to respond to such denials; and
``(5) a description of--
``(A) disparities in access to family planning and 
reproductive health services and pregnancy-related 
health outcomes, including pregnancy-related injuries 
and deaths, based on race, ethnicity, indigenous 
status, language, religious affiliation, age, marital 
status, disability, sexual orientation and gender 
identity, or other marginalized identity; and
``(B) any measures taken by the government of such 
country to hold health systems accountable for 
addressing such disparities.''.
(b) Consultation Required.--In preparing the Annual Country Reports 
on Human Rights Practices required under sections 116(d) and 502B of 
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended by subsection (a), the 
Secretary of State, the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, 
Human Rights, and Labor, and other relevant officials, including human 
rights officers at United States diplomatic and consular posts, shall 
consult with--
(1) representatives of United States civil society and 
multilateral organizations with demonstrated experience and 
expertise in sexual and reproductive health and rights or 
promoting the human rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI+ 
persons;
(2) relevant local nongovernmental organizations in all 
countries included in such reports, including organizations 
serving women, girls, and LGBTQI+ persons that are focused on 
sexual and reproductive health and rights; and
(3) relevant agencies and offices of the United States 
Government that track or are otherwise involved in the 
monitoring of reproductive and sexual health around the world.
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