# What This Resolution Actually Does

This is a congressional resolution expressing support for an international agreement called the Geneva Consensus Declaration and asking the U.S. to rejoin it. Think of it as Congress passing a statement of values rather than creating new laws. The resolution doesn't change any existing rules or create new ones—it's essentially Congress saying "we support this declaration and want the President to sign on to it."

The Geneva Consensus Declaration is an agreement signed by 36 countries (as of when this was written) that focuses on women's health, family values, and the right to life. The key points Congress is endorsing are that there's no international right to abortion, that countries should be able to make their own laws without outside pressure, and that families are important to society. The resolution notes that President Biden removed the U.S. from this declaration when he took office, and Congress is asking him to rejoin it. It also promises that Congress will oversee whether the executive branch is following existing federal laws that already prohibit U.S. funding for abortions and coercive family planning programs abroad.

For most Americans, this resolution won't have immediate practical effects on daily life. The U.S. already has longstanding federal laws preventing taxpayer money from funding abortions internationally, and those laws remain in place regardless of whether America signs this declaration. What this resolution does do is take a political stance on international abortion policy and signal Congress's position on how the U.S. should approach these issues globally. It's a way for Congress to express its values and put pressure on the President to align U.S. foreign policy with what supporters of this resolution believe is important.

Expressing support for the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family and urging that the United States rejoin this historic declaration.

Banks, Jim

<p>This concurrent resolution affirms the commitments in the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family and applauds the signatory countries for their dedication to advancing women's health, protecting life at every stage while affirming that there is no international right to abortion, and upholding the importance of the family as foundational to society.</p> <p>The resolution calls on President Biden to once again add the United States as a signatory to the Geneva Consensus Declaration.</p>