IV
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 70
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should develop,
promote, and implement policies to slow global population growth by
voluntary means.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 20, 2001
Mr. SAWYER (for himself, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mrs.
MALONEY of New York, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. PELOSI,
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr. LUTHER, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. SLAUGHTER,
Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. LANTOS, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Mr.
INSLEE, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. WYNN, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mrs.
TAUSCHER, and Mr. FROST) submitted the following concurrent resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and
in addition to the Committee on International Relations, for a period to
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States
should develop, promote, and implement policies to slow
global population growth by voluntary means.
Whereas rapid population growth and factors associated with
such growth, including increased population density and
movement and high rates of resource consumption and
pollution, create serious social, environmental, economic,
and health problems in the United States and abroad;
•HCON 70 IH
Whereas the people of the United States envision a world
with a healthy environment, clean air and water,
uncluttered land, ample open space, natural beauty, wil-
derness, and abundant wildlife, in which the dignity of
human life is enhanced;
Whereas rapid population growth and factors associated with
such growth degrade the Earth’s ecosystems on which all
life depends;
Whereas rapid population growth increasingly depletes irre-
placeable natural resources, including energy resources,
and amplifies the contribution of rising energy consump-
tion levels to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the at-
mosphere;
Whereas wild habitats that shelter endangered plants and
animals are giving way to excessive human activities and
needs, resulting in an extensive loss of biological diver-
sity;
Whereas reducing population growth rates helps developed
and developing nations to provide for their people, allow-
ing the poorest of nations to develop economically and
participate in world trade;
Whereas slowing population growth would ease the strain on
limited farmland caused by the need to feed the increas-
ing number of malnourished people worldwide;
Whereas the right of families to choose both the number of
children they hope to have and the timing of the births
of those children is a fundamental human right;
Whereas at least 150 million couples worldwide who want ac-
cess to reproductive health care services do not have such
access;
•HCON 70 IH
Whereas each year approximately 600,000 women die of
causes related to childbirth and pregnancy;
Whereas high quality, voluntary family planning prevents the
need for abortions;
Whereas, although effective voluntary family planning pro-
grams at home and abroad have succeeded in slowing the
rate of population growth, the world’s population con-
tinues to grow;
Whereas because of a continuing unmet need for voluntary
family planning programs, unintended pregnancy remains
a critical challenge;
Whereas the United States has the highest rates of unin-
tended pregnancy, teenage pregnancy, and teenage child-
birth in the industrialized world;
Whereas 
the 
world’s 
population 
currently 
exceeds
6,000,000,000 and is expected to rise by 1,000,000,000
in the next 12 years, a rate that cannot be sustained eco-
nomically or environmentally;
Whereas the largest youth generation in history is entering
the prime reproductive age group; and
Whereas rapid population growth significantly increases the
difficulty and cost of solving social, economic, and polit-
ical problems in the United States and around the globe
and contributes directly and indirectly to the pollution
and degradation of the environment: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the
United States should develop, promote, and implement, at
•HCON 70 IH
the earliest possible time, domestic and international poli-
cies necessary—
(1) to create a balance between the world’s
human population and the natural environment that
is sustainable over the long term; and
(2) to slow rapid global population growth by
voluntary means consistent with human rights and
individual conscience, thereby promoting the future
well-being of the people of this Nation and of the
world.
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