Safe Passages Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Safe Passages Act of 2025, aims to establish a global initiative to significantly reduce maternal and child mortality in low- and lower-middle-income countries by fiscal year 2030. It focuses on advancing and funding life-affirming maternal and child health interventions , emphasizing the equipping of local health providers, including midwives, physicians, and community health workers, with essential training and medical resources. The program also supports health and nutrition education during the critical first 1,000 days of life and promotes the engagement of fathers in maternal and child care. The legislation amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, mandating an annual allocation of not less than $400,000,000 from the Global Health Programs account to support these initiatives. Key interventions include training for the prevention and management of obstetric complications such as hemorrhage, preeclampsia, infections, and obstructed labor, as well as reducing fetal, perinatal, neonatal, and infant mortality. Crucially, the bill stipulates that assistance must promote natural methods of fertility awareness and explicitly prohibits the use of funds for abortion or abortion-related services, aligning with a respect for life from conception to natural death. Implementation of the program prioritizes collaboration with efficient and reliable global health partnerships, particularly local faith-based providers and organizations with proven expertise in resource-limited settings. The bill also includes robust reporting and oversight requirements, compelling the Secretary of State to submit biennial reports detailing the effectiveness of trainings, facility upgrades, and community-level data on morbidity and mortality, ensuring accountability and measurable impact.