By allowing women to plan the size of their families, voluntary family planning programs also help conserve natural resources in areas where expanding human numbers threaten biodiversity and endangered species. Since the mid-1990s, family planning opponents have cut U.S. funding for these programs by arguing, in part, that the money funds abortion. In fact, the use of U.S. foreign assistance to fund abortion has been prohibited since 1973.

H.R. 2754, the State Department-Foreign Operations appropriations bill, contained language allowing overseas organizations, otherwise ineligible for U.S. family planning funding, to continue receiving contraceptives from the U.S. government. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) offered an amendment to strike this exemption. On June 21, 2007, the House rejected the Smith amendment by a 205-218 vote (House roll call vote 534). NO is the pro-environment vote. The contraceptive exemption was not included in the Omnibus appropriations bill because of President Bush's veto threat.