[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 58 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 58
Commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Mexico City policy.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 13, 2019
Mr. Biggs (for himself, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. Meadows, Mr.
Wright, Mr. Long, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania, Mr.
Gaetz, Mr. Hice of Georgia, Mr. Buck, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr.
Abraham, Mr. Babin, Mr. Burchett, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Latta, Mr. Grothman,
Mr. Chabot, Mr. Mooney of West Virginia, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Marshall, Mr.
Bost, Mr. Luetkemeyer, Mr. Banks, Mr. Budd, Mr. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma,
Mr. Conaway, Mr. Ratcliffe, Mr. Norman, Mr. Brooks of Alabama, Mr.
Gibbs, Mr. Stewart, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, Mr. Johnson of South
Dakota, Mr. Roy, Mr. Cloud, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr.
Posey, Mr. Flores, Mr. Cline, Mr. Yoho, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Gianforte,
Mr. Reschenthaler, Mr. Arrington, Mr. Estes, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Duffy,
Mr. Brady, Mr. Walker, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. Rogers of Kentucky, Mrs.
Lesko, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr.
Gallagher, Mr. Olson, Mrs. Miller, Mr. Kelly of Mississippi, Mr. Austin
Scott of Georgia, Mr. Loudermilk, Mr. Emmer, Mr. Graves of Georgia, Mr.
Rouzer, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr. Meuser, Mr. Aderholt, Mr.
Kinzinger, Mrs. Roby, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Perry, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr.
Palmer, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Hagedorn, Mr. Guest, Mr. Fulcher, Mr. Pence,
Mr. Allen, and Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Mexico City policy.
Whereas the United Nations held its second International Conference on
Population in Mexico City between August 6 and August 14, 1984;
Whereas the primary purpose of this conference was to discuss the implications
of population growth in the developing world and to build on the
findings of the first conference on this topic, which met in Bucharest,
Romania, 10 years before;
Whereas the United States was 1 of 147 member states of the United Nations that
agreed to participate in the conference;
Whereas President Ronald Reagan, in a May 30, 1984, pre-conference message to
Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, expressed the belief that
the challenges posed by significant population growth in many developing
nations could and should be met in such a way as to ``respect and
enhance the freedom of the individual'';
Whereas President Reagan's May 30, 1984, message continued: ``We believe
population programs can and must be truly voluntary, cognizant of the
rights and responsibilities of individuals and families, and respectful
of religious and cultural values. When they are, such programs can make
an important contribution to economic and social development, to the
health of mothers and children, and to the stability of the family and
of society'';
Whereas President Reagan's May 30, 1984, message culminated with the following
statement: ``Our concern over the dimensions of demographic change is
inseparable from a concern for the welfare of children--who are the
ultimate resource of any society.'';
Whereas President Reagan selected then-former Undersecretary of State James L.
Buckley to attend the International Conference on Population in Mexico
City;
Whereas Ambassador Buckley addressed a plenary session of the conference on
August 8, 1984;
Whereas Ambassador Buckley stated in this address that ``the United States does
not consider abortion an acceptable element of family planning
program'';
Whereas Ambassador Buckley's statement clarified United States policy along the
following lines:
(1) ``First, where United States funds are contributed to nations which
support abortion with other funds, the United States will contribute to
such nations through segregated accounts which cannot be used for
abortion.'';
(2) ``Second, the United States will no longer contribute to separate
nongovernmental organizations which perform or actively promote abortion as
a method of family planning in other nations.''; and
(3) ``Third, before the United States will contribute funds to the UN
Fund for Population Activities it will insist that no part of its
contribution be used for abortion and will also first require concrete
assurances that the UNFPA is not engaged in, and does not provide funding
for, abortion or coercive family planning programs. Should such assurances
not be possible, and in order to maintain the level of its overall
contribution to the international effort, the United States will redirect
the amount of its intended contribution to other, non-UNFPA family planning
programs.'';
Whereas these proscriptions have come to be known as the ``Mexico City policy'';
Whereas the Mexico City policy was continued by President George H.W. Bush and
subsequently rescinded by President Bill Clinton in 1993;
Whereas the Mexico City policy was reinstated by President George W. Bush in
2001 and subsequently rescinded by President Barack Obama in 2009; and
Whereas the Mexico City policy was most recently reinstated, modernized, and
renamed ``Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance'' by President
Donald Trump: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) commemorates the 35th anniversary of the Mexico City
policy;
(2) expresses the hope that the Mexico City policy will be
permanently codified in United States law; and
(3) affirms the sanctity of life at all stages, from the
moment of conception to the moment of natural death.
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