IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 521
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that in international
negotiations, including United Nations conferences, the United States
should defend fundamental human rights to family, conscience, and life.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 9, 2000
Mr. DEMINT (for himself, Mr. PITTS, Mr. DELAY, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr.
WELDON of Florida, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr.
DOOLITTLE, Mr. COBURN, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. BURTON
of 
Indiana, 
Mr. 
MCINTOSH, 
Mrs. 
MYRICK, 
Mr. 
TERRY, 
Mr.
HOSTETTLER, Mr. HAYES, and Mr. ISTOOK) submitted the following res-
olution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that
in international negotiations, including United Nations
conferences, the United States should defend funda-
mental human rights to family, conscience, and life.
Whereas, since 1985, there have been a series of conferences
organized by the United Nations to address women’s
rights and health;
Whereas one of these United Nations conferences, Bei-
jing + 5 occurred the week of June 5, 2000;
Whereas some international delegations, including the U.S.
delegation, are promoting a new term ‘‘sexual rights’’,
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which could apply not only to adults, but also to children
as young as 10 years old;
Whereas this broad and vague language could promote the
sexual abuse of children and deny parents’ rights to pro-
tect their children;
Whereas this broad and vague phrase ‘‘sexual rights’’ could
also promote the spread of prostitution worldwide;
Whereas, according to newspaper reports, the U.S. delegation
to the Beijing + 5 conference is ‘‘leading efforts to avoid
condemning prostitution as a ‘form of abuse’ of women’’;
Whereas, according to reports, in recent negotiations at the
U.N. Convention on Transnational Organized Crime in
Vienna, the administration has supported limiting inter-
national efforts to combat ‘‘forced prostitution’’;
Whereas the prostitution of women and children in any form
and under any circumstances constitutes exploitation;
Whereas prostitution degrades women and children by treat-
ing them as commodities rather than human beings wor-
thy of respect;
Whereas prostitution has detrimental effect on society as a
whole including ruined lives and increased health care,
law enforcement, and welfare costs;
Whereas prostitution contributes to the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases, including HIV;
Whereas the vast majority of women and children who are
forced, enticed, or otherwise induced to consent to par-
ticipate in prostitution come from the lowest socio-
economic strata in society;
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Whereas the United States delegation reportedly opposes lan-
guage that calls the pornography industry an exploiter of
women; and
Whereas, in article 16 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the Member States declared, ‘‘The family
is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and
is entitled to protection by society and the State’’: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives urges
the President of the United States to direct any present
or future U.S. delegations to worldwide conferences to:
(1) adopt a negotiating policy that prostitution
in any form or circumstance degrades human dignity
and violates basic human rights;
(2) oppose broad and vague ‘‘sexual rights’’ lan-
guage for adults and children;
(3) call upon the international community to
end all forms of prostitution and aggressively pursue
organizations and individuals exploiting women and
children through prostitution; and
(4) defend the fundamental human rights to
family, conscience, and life.
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