[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 118 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                        March 23, 1999.
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly has decided to convene a special 
        session from June 30 to July 2, 1999, in order to review and appraise 
        the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International 
        Conference on Population and Development;
Whereas chapter II of the Programme of Action, which sets forth the principles 
        of that document, begins: ``The implementation of the recommendations 
        contained in the Programme of Action is the sovereign right of each 
        country, consistent with national laws and development priorities, with 
        full respect for the various religious and ethical values and cultural 
        backgrounds of its people, and in conformity with universally recognized 
        international human rights.'';
Whereas section 7.12 of the Programme of Action states: ``The principle of 
        informed [consent] is essential to the long-term success of family-
        planning programmes. Any form of coercion has no part to play.'';
Whereas section 7.12 of the Programme of Action further states: ``Government 
        goals for family planning should be defined in terms of unmet needs for 
        information and services. Demographic goals * * * should not be imposed 
        on family-planning providers in the form of targets or quotas for the 
        recruitment of clients.''; and
Whereas section 7.17 of the Programme of Action states: ``[g]overnments should 
        secure conformity to human rights and to ethical and professional 
        standards in the delivery of family planning and related reproductive 
        health services aimed at ensuring responsible, voluntary and informed 
        consent and also regarding service provision'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
            (1) no bilateral or multilateral assistance or benefit to any 
        country should be conditioned upon or linked to that country's adoption 
        or failure to adopt population programs, or to the relinquishment of 
        that country's sovereign right to implement the Programme of Action of 
        the International Conference on Population and Development consistent 
        with its own national laws and development priorities, with full respect 
        for the various religious and ethical values and cultural backgrounds of 
        its people, and in conformity with universally recognized international 
        human rights;
            (2)(A) family planning service providers or referral agents should 
        not implement or be subject to quotas, or other numerical targets, of 
        total number of births, number of family planning acceptors, or 
        acceptors of a particular method of family planning;
            (B) subparagraph (A) should not be construed to preclude the use of 
        quantitative estimates or indicators for budgeting and planning 
        purposes;
            (3) no family planning project should include payment of incentives, 
        bribes, gratuities, or financial reward to any person in exchange for 
        becoming a family planning acceptor or to program personnel for 
        achieving a numerical target or quota of total number of births, number 
        of family planning acceptors, or acceptors of a particular method of 
        family planning;
            (4) no project should deny any right or benefit, including the right 
        of access to participate in any program of general welfare or the right 
        of access to health care, as a consequence of any person's decision not 
        to accept family planning services;
            (5) every family planning project should provide family planning 
        acceptors with comprehensible information on the health benefits and 
        risks of the method chosen, including those conditions that might render 
        the use of the method inadvisable and those adverse side effects known 
        to be consequent to the use of the method;
            (6) every family planning project should ensure that experimental 
        contraceptive drugs and devices and medical procedures are provided only 
        in the context of a scientific study in which participants are advised 
        of potential risks and benefits; and
            (7) the United States should reaffirm the principles described in 
        paragraphs (1) through (6) in the special session of the United Nations 
        General Assembly to be held between June 30 and July 2, 1999, and in all 
        preparatory meetings for the special session.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.