[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 22 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 22

Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to contraception and 
                              infertility.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 25, 1993

  Mrs. Schroeder (for herself and Ms. Snowe) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 
                              and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to contraception and 
                              infertility.

Whereas the incidence in the United States of both unintended pregnancy and 
        abortion is substantial and unacceptable;
Whereas there is a significant incidence of infertility in the United States;
Whereas studies estimate that 31,800,000 women nationwide are at risk of 
        unintended pregnancy, and that, for a variety of reasons, 13 percent of 
        these women are not using any form of contraception;
Whereas there is a substantial need for the development of new contraceptive 
        drugs and devices, but only 1 private pharmaceutical company based in 
        the United States is conducting research toward such development;
Whereas, if a variety of safe and effective options with respect to 
        contraception are widely available, significant benefits for women and 
        their families accrue, including a reduction in the number of low-
        birthweight births and a reduction in the number of premature births, 
        leading to a reduced incidence of maternal and infant mortality;
Whereas it is estimated that 1 out of 6 couples in the United States is 
        infertile or fails to conceive within 1 year of deciding to have a 
        child;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 20 percent of cases of 
        infertility in the United States are caused by sexually transmitted 
        diseases;
Whereas cases of infertility resulting from sexually transmitted diseases are 
        the most preventable of such cases;
Whereas, with respect to the problems of contraception and infertility, the 
        obstacles to making an effective response to such problems are many and 
        include a lack of consistent funding, the political controversy 
        concerning abortion, the lengthy and complex procedures for the approval 
        by the Food and Drug Administration of new drugs and devices, the costs 
        of liability insurance for research and for the marketing of drugs and 
        devices, and a shortage of scientists in the relevant fields; and
Whereas family planning is universally recognized as a human right: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress should--
            (1) establish a program of research for the development of 
        new and improved methods of contraception and new and improved 
        methods of diagnosing and treating infertility, including the 
        establishment of research centers for such purposes;
            (2) provide adequate long-term resources for the program to 
        ensure that the program is among the principal Federal research 
        priorities and that the United States is a world leader in 
        research with respect to contraception and infertility;
            (3) ensure that Federal programs with respect to the 
        prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted 
        diseases adequately respond to the role of such diseases in 
        cases of infertility;
            (4) ensure that the public is educated with respect to 
        contraception and infertility, including education on new and 
        improved drugs and devices;
            (5) establish as Federal goals the development, by the year 
        2010, of--
                    (A) improved barrier methods to protect against 
                unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases;
                    (B) new methods of contraception for use by men;
                    (C) a vaccine-like drug for women that prevents 
                unintended pregnancy for a significant period of time 
                without disrupting the menstrual cycle or causing 
                adverse metabolic or cardiovascular effects; and
                    (D) new and improved techniques of diagnosing and 
                treating infertility;
            (6) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
        take prompt action to reestablish the Ethical Advisory Board 
        (terminated in 1980) in order to facilitate research with 
        respect to infertility;
            (7) review the policies and procedures of the Food and Drug 
        Administration to determine the extent to which the process of 
        approving drugs and devices for use by the public, especially 
        with respect to contraception and infertility, can be expedited 
        with a reasonable degree of safety, including consideration of 
        the role of conducting ongoing surveys and studies of the 
        effects on the public of drugs and devices that have been so 
        approved; and
            (8) determine to what extent measures can be implemented by 
        public or private entities to resolve liability issues 
        regarding persons conducting research into, or marketing, drugs 
        and devices with respect to contraception and infertility.

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