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Forty Years and Counting: How the Helms Amendment Violates the Human Rights of Women and Girls in Developing Countries
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Forty Years and Counting: How the Helms Amendment Violates the Human Rights of Women and Girls in Developing Countries

Jamila Taylor discusses the harmful effects of the Helms Amendment on women and girls in developing countries.

According to the World Health Organization, 25 million unsafe abortions occur each year. 1 Almost all unsafe abortions and related deaths happen in the global south, where black and brown women are most heavily impacted by poor maternal health outcomes. By limiting the availability of safe abortion services, the Helms Amendment leads to the preventable deaths and injuries of some of the world’s most vulnerable people and is a violation of their fundamental human rights. Although social norms and political contexts around reproductive health vary in countries receiving U.S. foreign aid, the policies exported by our government can have a lasting impact on those served by the programs we support

The above excerpt was originally published in Reproductive Justice Briefing Book. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Jamila Taylor

Senior Fellow; Director, Women’s Health and Rights