Foreign Relations Authorization Act: Office for Global Women’s Issues
Background: While cited as the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, the measure in question, H.R. 2410, is described in its title as a bill “To authorize appropriations for the Department of State, and the Peace Corps for fiscal years 2010 and 2011, to modernize the Foreign Service, and for other purposes.” The last free-standing two-year authorization for this general purpose was for fiscal years 2002 and 2003.
House Committee: On May 20, 2009, the House Foreign Affairs Committee marked up the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410). The bill contained a provision in Section 334 to establish an Office for Global Women’s Issues. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) offered an amendment to this section so that the new Office would not be used to promote abortion throughout the world. “If abortion is promoted by the Office for Global Women’s Issues, it will profoundly undermine both the mission and message of what would otherwise be a truly noble initiative,” Rep. Smith stated. “My amendment ensures that won’t be the case.” See: nchla.org/datasource/idocuments/5SMITNJ032.20.09.pdf
Throughout Section 334 language described the purpose of the Office as coordinating “efforts of the United States Government regarding gender integration and women’s empowerment in United States foreign policy.” Wherever this language occurred, the Smith Amendment replaced it with “efforts of the United States Government regarding the full integration of women and girls and women’s empowerment in United States foreign policy.”
Where the duties of the Ambassador were described in broad terms as “design, support, and as appropriate, implement, limited projects regarding women’s empowerment internationally,” the Smith Amendment dropped the broad general reference to “projects regarding women’s empowerment internationally” and in its place substituted a list of 15 generally accepted specific policies, programs, and activities. As Rep. Smith summarized: “The Office would promote activities designed to expand educational opportunities and job training for women; push equal pay for equal work for women; push microfinancing and microenterprise programs for women; push property and inheritance rights for women; improve maternal health and expand pregnancy care centers; combat forced abortions, forced sterilization, sex and labor trafficking and other forms of violence against women; seek an end to genital mutilation; stop child marriage; and promote changes in male attitudes and behavior that are detrimental to women.”
The Smith Amendment also added a new policy section: “It is the policy of the United States Government not to lobby sovereign countries, including through multilateral mechanisms, to change their domestic laws and policies to legalize, fund, or promote abortion except in cases of forcible rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.”
However, in a party line vote, on May 20, 2009 the Committee voted to defeat the Smith Amendment, 17-yes, 22-no. See: nchla.org/datasource/idocuments/5VoteSmithAmend20.09.pdf
During the course of committee debate, Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) stated, “The notion that somehow the United States promotes abortion overseas is fallacious. It’s a false premise.” (CQToday, 5/21/09, p. 3) However, in April 22, 2009 testimony before this same committee, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, responding to questions from Rep. Chris Smith, stated the opposite. “It is my strongly held view that you are entitled to advocate and everyone who agrees with you should be free to do so anywhere in the world, and so are we [the Administration and its allies].” The Secretary defined “reproductive health” to include access to abortion. “We are now an Administration that will protect the rights of women, including their rights to reproductive health care.” See YouTube clip at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gEA97EnxE4.
On May 20, 2009, H.R. 2410 was voted out of committee by voice vote.
House Floor: On June 9, 2009, the House Rules Committee rejected a motion to put the Smith Amendment in order during floor consideration of H.R. 2410. Among the amendments put in order was the Manager’s Amendment that would add a new generic paragraph stating that nothing in Sec. 334 “shall be construed as affecting” existing laws against abortion or laws against the use of U.S. funds to change the abortion laws of other countries. On June 10, 2009, during floor debate, the House approved the Manager’s Amendment and passed H.R. 2410.
Senate: H.R. 2410 now awaits consideration by the Senate.
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