“Unsafe abortion is actually a public health tragedy of our times, simply because the technology to make this procedure safe has been available for decades…In our region, particularly with the patriarchal culture and the society we live in, religious fundamentalism (and) political conservatism has always tended to make women’s bodies a battleground for these issues.”

That’s Dr. Suchitra Dalvie, coordinator of the Asia Safe Abortion Partnership, talking about abortion issues as they play out in Asia. But sadly, her words could apply to almost anywhere in the world.

As the above video from the International Planned Parenthood Federation and International Campaign for Decriminalization of Abortion notes, laws and policies restricting abortions do not stop women from getting them. They only force women to seek out underground providers, often at risk to their own health.

The Helms Amendment is one such policy. And President Obama has the power to change this for women overseas whose pregnancies threaten their lives, and those who become pregnant as a result of rape or incest. The policy, introduced by the late Sen. Jesse Helms in 1973, has been enforced as a total ban on the use of U.S. foreign assistance for abortion. But it only restricts the use of foreign aid for abortion “as a method of family planning.” Women with life-threatening pregnancies, or those who are pregnant as a result of rape or incest, do not fit this description and should be eligible for support.

Each year, an estimated 22 million unsafe abortions occur. More women risk their lives every day. And yet, for 170 days, the President has failed to act. How many more women will risk their lives while he waits? Click here to tell President Obama that #HelmsHurts and needs to change now.