IV 

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. 


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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, preconference 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.’’; 


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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, nonUNFPA family planning programs.’’; 

Whereas these proscriptions have come to be known as the 

‘‘Mexico City policy’’; 


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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 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) commemorates the 35th anniversary of the 

4 Mexico City policy; 

5 (2) expresses the hope that the Mexico City pol6 icy will be permanently codified in United States 

7 law; and 

8 (3) affirms the sanctity of life at all stages, 

9 from the moment of conception to the moment of 

10 natural death. 

Æ 


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