Biden Amendment in United States
Biden Amendment (1981) and Family Planning-Related Provisions
This section provides a general background of biden amendment (1981) in the framework of the abortion and family planning-related provisions in U.S. foreign assistance and, in special, in relation to Restrictions or Requirements in Legislation.In 1981, Congress passed an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 specifying that the United States may not provide foreign assistance for biomedical research related to abortion or involuntary sterilization. This provision, named after Senator Joseph Biden, states:
None of the funds made available to carry out this part may be used to pay for any biomedical research which relates, in whole or in part, to methods of, or the performance of, abortions or involuntary sterilization as a means of family planning [18].
The Biden amendment has also been included in foreign operations appropriations acts. Most recently, it was included in Section 7018 of the FY2016 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Act [19]. The provision as included in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the FY2016 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Act applies to all foreign assistance activities authorized by part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (development assistance).
Note: Based on the Abortion and Family Planning-Related Provisions in U.S. Foreign Assistance Law and Policy Report.
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Notes and References
18 Section 104 (f) (3) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (P.L. 87-195; 22 U.S.C. 2151b (f) (3)), as amended by Section 302 (b) of the International Security and Development Act of 1981 (P.L. 97-113; 95 Stat. 1532), approved December 29, 1981. “This part” refers to part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
19 129 Stat. 2744.