IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1153 

Condemning unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures on individuals without 

their full, informed consent. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 

Ms. JAYAPAL (for herself, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Ms. JACKSON

LEE, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Ms. FRANKEL, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. AGUILAR, 

Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. BASS, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BISHOP of 

Georgia, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. BONAMICI, 

Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mrs. BUSTOS, 

Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. CASTRO

of Texas, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, 

Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. COOPER, Mr. CORREA, 

Mr. CRIST, Mr. CROW, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. DEAN, Ms. 

DEGETTE, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. DELBENE, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. MICHAEL

F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. ESCOBAR, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ESPAILLAT, 

Mr. EVANS, Mrs. FLETCHER, Mr. FOSTER, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. GALLEGO, 

Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. GREEN

of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. HAYES, 

Mr. HECK, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. HUFFMAN, 

Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. 

KAPTUR, Mr. KEATING, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 

KHANNA, Mr. KILMER, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, 

Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Ms. 

LOFGREN, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LUJA ́N, Mr. 

MALINOWSKI, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCEACHIN, Mr. 

MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MENG, Ms. MOORE, Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 

OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PASCRELL, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. 

RASKIN, Mr. ROSE of New York, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. 

RUSH, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. 

SCHRIER, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. SIRES, Mr. SMITH of 

Washington, Mr. SOTO, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. 

TAKANO, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Mrs. 

TORRES of California, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VELA, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. 

WELCH, Ms. WILD, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. LARSON


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•HRES 1153 IH 

of Connecticut, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. RYAN, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. CLEAVER, 

Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. TRONE, Mrs. 

DAVIS of California, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. DOGGETT, Mrs. 

MCBATH, Mr. COX of California, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New 

York, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. TONKO, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. 

MORELLE, Ms. SHALALA, Mr. LEVIN of California, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. 

MOULTON, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. WATERS, Ms. 

DAVIDS of Kansas, Mr. DEUTCH, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. 

PETERS, Mr. KIM, Mrs. LURIA, Mr. PAPPAS, and Ms. SLOTKIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures on 

individuals without their full, informed consent. 

Whereas there is a shameful history in the United States of 

Black, Indigenous, people of color, immigrants, poor people, and people with disabilities being subjected to medical procedures without their informed consent; 

Whereas 32 States passed eugenic-sterilization laws, resulting 

in the sterilization of between 60,000 to 70,000 people 

beginning in the early 1900s; 

Whereas 25 percent of Native American women of childbearing age were sterilized over the course of 6 years 

after the passage of the Family Planning Services and 

Population Research Act of 1970; 

Whereas incarcerated individuals have continued to face sterilization practices, including nearly 150 incarcerated 

women in California prisons sterilized between 2006 and 

2010; 


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Whereas, on September 14, 2020, a coalition of organizations, including Project South, Georgia Detention Watch, 

Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, and South 

Georgia Immigrant Support Network, filed a complaint 

to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General expressing concerns about the Irwin 

County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, including detained immigrant women receiving unnecessary 

hysterectomies and a lack of informed consent for gynecological procedures; 

Whereas a growing number of women are coming forward to 

share stories of unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures, including full or partial hysterectomies and other 

procedures involving their reproductive organs, performed 

without their knowledge or consent; 

Whereas, on September 16, 2020, U.S. Immigration and 

Customs Enforcement nearly deported a woman who was 

formerly detained at Irwin County Detention Center who 

had one fallopian tube removed without her knowledge or 

consent; 

Whereas, on September 18, 2020, 4 women came forward 

saying that they did not approve of the procedures they 

received; 

Whereas an initial review of available medical records by 

independent gynecologists raises serious questions about 

whether patients detained at the Irwin County Detention 

Center provided informed consent and whether prevailing 

standards of care were adhered to in their care; and 

Whereas these allegations indicate a failure by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct rigorous overVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:27 Sep 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1153.IH HR1153

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sight to protect the health and safety of people in its custody: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns performing unwanted, unneces3 sary medical procedures on individuals without their 

4 full, informed consent; 

5 (2) recognizes that everyone deserves to control 

6 their own reproductive choices and make informed 

7 choices about their bodies; 

8 (3) recognizes that further accountability, over9 sight, and transparency is necessary to protect peo10 ple in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs 

11 Enforcement; and 

12 (4) calls on the Department of Homeland Secu13 rity to— 

14 (A) pause the removal of any individual 

15 who experienced any medical procedure at the 

16 Irwin County Detention Center; 

17 (B) allow individuals who may have experi18 enced an unnecessary or nonconsensual proce19 dure to have immediate access to adequate, 

20 safe, and consensual medical treatment or to 

21 seek a second opinion from an independent 

22 medical professional; 


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1 (C) immediately comply with all investiga2 tions and records requests related to investiga3 tions about the Irwin County Detention Center; 

4 (D) ensure impacted individuals are able to 

5 freely participate in any investigation and share 

6 their stories without fear of reprisal; and 

7 (E) hold all individuals involved in these 

8 incidents accountable and bring them to justice. 

Æ 


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