IV

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 337

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to radiation

experiments conducted by the Federal Government.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 2, 1994

Mr. FROST (for himself and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred jointly to the Committees

on Government Operations, Energy and Commerce, and the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with

respect to radiation experiments conducted by the Federal Government.

Whereas the Federal Government intentionally conducted secret radiation experiments on individuals beginning in the

1940’s;

Whereas the experiments were conducted without the informed consent or knowledge of the individuals on whom

the experiments were performed;

Whereas the radiation experiments included, but were not

limited to, experiments involving injections of plutonium,

prescription of radioactive medication to pregnant

women, ingestion of irradiated food, and exposure to atmospheric radiation;
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Whereas the Federal Government performed the experiments

not in order to achieve medical or health benefits for the

individuals who were subjects in the experiments, but for

research purposes to allow Federal Government scientists

and health specialists to study the effects of radiation on

the human body;

Whereas, at the time of the experiments and in the years following the experiments, previous Federal administrations

failed to inform the individuals used as subjects, or their

families, about the nature and effects of the experiments;

Whereas the failure to inform such individuals and their families persisted even after a 1986 report, issued by the

Subcommittee on Energy Conservation and Power of the

Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of

Representatives, disclosed the existence of some of the experiments and recommended that individuals used as

subjects in the experiments be identified, located, and

provided with followup medical care; and

Whereas such experiments conducted on individuals without

their consent or permission were wrong and unacceptable

in a free and democratic society, and all reasonable steps

should be taken to ensure that such experiments never

happen again: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that—

3 (1) the people of the United States deserve a

4 full accounting of the nature and extent of the radi5 ation experiments conducted by the Federal Govern6 ment;
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1 (2) the Secretary of Energy should be com2 mended for quickly responding to the disclosures

3 that secret radiation experiments had been con4 ducted on individuals without their informed consent

5 by promising to locate and release all relevant

6 records;

7 (3) the President should be commended for es8 tablishing a Human Radiation Interagency Working

9 Group and an independent Advisory Committee on

10 Human Radiation Experiments to examine the sci11 entific and ethical questions raised by the experi12 ments and to make recommendations to the Presi13 dent;

14 (4) all departments and agencies of the Federal

15 Government should act expeditiously to locate, re16 trieve, and inventory all records and documents re17 lated to the radiation experiments;

18 (5) once located, retrieved, and inventoried, all

19 relevant records and documents should be made

20 available to the individuals who were used as sub21 jects in the experiments, and to their families, to

22 allow them to learn the truth about the experiments;

23 (6) the individuals who were subjects in the ex24 periments and are still alive should receive appro25 priate followup medical care;
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1 (7) the President should consider whether com2 pensation should be provided to the individuals who

3 were the subjects of the experiments;

4 (8) the President should consider whether com5 pensation should be provided to the surviving family

6 members of deceased individuals who were subjects

7 of the experiments; and

8 (9) an apology should be made by the Federal

9 Government to the individuals who were subjects in

10 the experiments, and their families, for the hard11 ships they have endured as a result of the secret ra12 diation experiments.

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