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Whereas chapter II of the Programme of Action, which sets
forth the principles of that document, begins: ‘‘The im-
plementation of the recommendations contained in the
Programme of Action is the sovereign right of each coun-
try, consistent with national laws and development prior-
ities, with full respect for the various religious and ethical
values and cultural backgrounds of its people, and in con-
formity with universally recognized international human
rights.’’;
Whereas section 7.12 of the Programme of Action states:
‘‘The principle of informed [consent] is essential to the
long-term success of family-planning programmes. Any
form of coercion has no part to play.’’;
Whereas section 7.12 of the Programme of Action further
states: ‘‘Government goals for family planning should be
defined in terms of unmet needs for information and
services. Demographic goals . . . should not be imposed
on family-planning providers in the form of targets or
quotas for the recruitment of clients.’’; and
Whereas section 7.17 of the Programme of Action states:
‘‘[g]overnments should secure conformity to human
rights and to ethical and professional standards in the
delivery of family planning and related reproductive
health services aimed at ensuring responsible, voluntary
and informed consent and also regarding service provi-
sion’’: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that—
(1) no bilateral or multilateral assistance or
benefit to any country should be conditioned upon or
linked to that country’s adoption or failure to adopt
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population programs, or to the relinquishment of
that country’s sovereign right to implement the Pro-
gramme of Action of the International Conference
on Population and Development consistent with its
own national laws and development priorities, with
full respect for the various religious and ethical val-
ues and cultural backgrounds of its people, and in
conformity with universally recognized international
human rights;
(2)(A) family planning service providers or re-
ferral agents should not implement or be subject to
quotas, or other numerical targets, of total number
of births, number of family planning acceptors, or
acceptors of a particular method of family planning;
(B) subparagraph (A) should not be construed
to preclude the use of quantitative estimates or indi-
cators for budgeting and planning purposes;
(3) no family planning project should include
payment of incentives, bribes, gratuities, or financial
reward to any person in exchange for becoming a
family planning acceptor or to program personnel
for achieving a numerical target or quota of total
number of births, number of family planning accep-
tors, or acceptors of a particular method of family
planning;
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(4) no project should deny any right or benefit,
including the right of access to participate in any
program of general welfare or the right of access to
health care, as a consequence of any person’s deci-
sion not to accept family planning services;
(5) every family planning project should provide
family planning acceptors with comprehensible infor-
mation on the health benefits and risks of the meth-
od chosen, including those conditions that might
render the use of the method inadvisable and those
adverse side effects known to be consequent to the
use of the method;
(6) every family planning project should ensure
that experimental contraceptive drugs and devices
and medical procedures are provided only in the con-
text of a scientific study in which participants are
advised of potential risks and benefits; and
(7) the United States should reaffirm the prin-
ciples described in paragraphs (1) through (6) in the
special session of the United Nations General As-
sembly to be held between June 30 and July 2,
1999, and in all preparatory meetings for the special
session.
Æ