Johnson Introduces the Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights Act of 2025

WASHINGTON, DC - As global attacks on reproductive freedom escalate and the Trump administration continues to gut foreign aid for sexual and reproductive health, Congresswoman Julie Johnson (TX-32) introduced the Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights Act of 2025. The bill restores transparency and accountability by requiring the U.S. State Department to include reproductive rights once again in its annual Human Rights Reports.

"Reproductive rights must be recognized to be protected," said Johnson. "When reproductive rights are stripped from our human rights reporting, it gives cover to violence, coercion, and systemic discrimination. This bill restores transparency and accountability - and sends a clear message to the world: the United States will not be complicit in covering up attacks on bodily autonomy, gender equality, and reproductive freedom. No matter who is in power, these basic rights must be protected."

The bill is co-led by Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and endorsed by the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus, alongside more than 20 leading human rights and global health organizations, including the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Amnesty International USA, and Reproductive Freedom for All.

"Freedom is the ability to decide what to do with your own body and future - and that's why abortion rights are human rights," said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51). "But unfortunately, the first Trump Administration erased sexual and reproductive rights from the State Department's human rights reports, skewing our understanding of the actual state of human rights around the world. Not only did that decision undermine the legitimacy of abortion rights as human rights, but it also compromised our ability to make thoughtful decisions on appropriations requests and policy. That's why I'm proud to right this wrong and introduce legislation with Congresswoman Julie Johnson to require the State Department to include the status of reproductive rights in its annual human rights reports."

"Access to sexual and reproductive health care is a human right - full stop," said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Amidst the Trump administration's ongoing attacks on foreign aid and access to sexual and reproductive health care around the world, the State Department is now censoring even basic information on the state of reproductive rights. Transparency and accurate data are critical to protect and promote these essential rights. We thank Reps. Julie Johnson and Sara Jacobs for reintroducing the Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights Act in support of documenting everyone's human rights - including the ability to get the sexual and reproductive health care they need and deserve."

"The Trump administration's removal of reproductive rights from the annual human rights report decimates a critical tool for identifying human rights violations," said Rachana Desai Martin, Chief Program Officer, U.S. Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights. "This move was part of a broader campaign to dismantle the State Department's human rights infrastructure-marked by mass layoffs of experienced staff, significant delays in releasing human rights reports, and a deliberate effort to suppress key data. We must fight against this attempt to sweep sexual health and rights abuses under the rug, and that begins with demanding accurate, timely information. The Reproductive Rights are Human Rights Act will ensure that no matter who is in the White House, this globally relied-on human rights report will include essential data and documentation on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Reproductive rights are human rights, and this legislation prevents extremists from covering up the many ways that governments restrict and violate the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ people around the world."

The legislation requires the State Department to include in its annual reports:

• Any government efforts to expand or restrict access to contraception, abortion, maternal health care, and HIV services
• Rates and causes of pregnancy-related deaths, including those from unsafe abortion
• Discrimination, coercion, or violence in reproductive health settings - including against women, LGBTQI+ people, and people with disabilities
• Obstetric violence, forced sterilization or pregnancy, and criminalization of pregnancy outcomes
• Disparities in care based on race, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

These reports play a vital role in shaping U.S. foreign aid policy and global human rights advocacy. Johnson's bill ensures they can't be manipulated by politics or ideology - and that reproductive oppression won't be ignored.

Congresswoman Julie Johnson represents Texas's 32^nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, serving on the Homeland Security Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Administration Committee. Her district includes parts of Collin, Dallas, and Denton Counties.

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