Title: Commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Mexico City policy.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This concurrent resolution recognizes the 35th anniversary of the Mexico City policy, which prohibits foreign nongovernmental organizations that receive U.S. global-health assistance from performing or promoting abortion as a method of family planning. The resolution expresses support for the codification of this policy in U.S. law.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 58 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






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.

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, pre-conference 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.'';
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, non-UNFPA family planning 
programs.'';

Whereas these proscriptions have come to be known as the ``Mexico City policy'';
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
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) commemorates the 35th anniversary of the Mexico City 
        policy;
            (2) expresses the hope that the Mexico City policy will be 
        permanently codified in United States law; and
            (3) affirms the sanctity of life at all stages, from the 
        moment of conception to the moment of natural death.
                                 <all>