§ 2151b. Population planning and health programs

(a) Congressional declaration of policy

The Congress recognizes that poor health conditions and uncontrolled population growth can vitiate otherwise successful development efforts.

Large families in developing countries are the result of complex social and economic factors which change relatively slowly among the poor majority least affected by economic progress, as well as the result of a lack of effective birth control. Therefore, effective family planning depends upon economic and social change as well as the delivery of services and is often a matter of political and religious sensitivity. While every country has the right to determine its own policies with respect to population growth, voluntary population planning programs can make a substantial contribution to economic development, higher living standards, and improved health and nutrition.

Good health conditions are a principal element in improved quality of life and contribute to the individual’s capacity to participate in the development process, while poor health and debilitating disease can limit productivity.

(b) Assistance for voluntary population planning

In order to increase the opportunities and motivation for family planning and to reduce the rate of population growth, the President is authorized to furnish assistance, on such terms and conditions as he may determine, for voluntary population planning. In addition to the provision of family planning information and services, including also information and services which relate to and support natural family planning methods, and the conduct of directly relevant demographic research, population planning programs shall emphasize motivation for small families.

(c) Assistance for health programs; special health needs of children and mothers; Child Survival Fund; promotion of immunization and oral rehydration; control of AIDS and tuberculosis

(1) In order to contribute to improvements in the health of the greatest number of poor people in developing countries, the President is authorized to furnish assistance, on such terms and conditions as he may determine, for health programs. Assistance under this subsection shall be used primarily for basic integrated health services, safe water and sanitation, disease prevention and control, and related health planning and research. This assistance shall emphasize self-sustaining community-based health programs by means such as training of health auxiliary and other appropriate personnel, support for the establishment and evaluation of projects that can be replicated on a broader scale, measures to improve management of health programs, and other services and supplies to support health and disease prevention programs.

(2)

(A) In carrying out the purposes of this subsection, the President shall promote, encourage, and undertake activities designed to deal directly with the special health needs of children and mothers. Such activities should utilize simple, available technologies which can significantly reduce childhood mortality, such as improved and expanded immunization programs, oral rehydration to combat diarrhoeal diseases, and education programs aimed at improving nutrition and sanitation and at promoting child spacing. In carrying out this paragraph, guidance shall be sought from knowledgeable health professionals from outside the agency primarily responsible for administering subchapter I of this chapter. In addition to government-to-government programs, activities pursuant to this paragraph should include support for appropriate activities of the types described in this paragraph which are carried out by international organizations (which may include international organizations receiving funds under part III of this subchapter) and by private and voluntary organizations, and should include encouragement to other donors to support such types of activities.

(B) In addition to amounts otherwise available for such purpose, there are authorized to be appropriated to the President $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1986 and $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1987 for use in carrying out this paragraph. Amounts appropriated under this subparagraph are authorized to remain available until expended.

(3) The Congress recognizes that the promotion of primary health care is a major objective of the foreign assistance program. The Congress further recognizes that simple, relatively low cost means already exist to reduce incidence of communicable diseases among children, mothers, and infants. The promotion of vaccines for immunization, and salts for oral rehydration, therefore, is an essential feature of the health assistance program. To this end, the Congress expects the agency primarily responsible for administering subchapter I of this chapter to set as a goal the protection of not less than 80 percent of all children, in those countries in which such agency has established development programs, from immunizable diseases by January 1, 1991. Of the aggregate amounts made available for fiscal year 1987 to carry out paragraph (2) of this subsection (relating to the Child Survival Fund) and to carry out subsection (c) of this section (relating to development assistance for health), $50,000,000 shall be used to carry out this paragraph.

(4) Relationship to other laws.— Assistance made available under this subsection and sections 2151b–2, 2151b–3, and 2151b–4 of this title, and assistance made available under part IV of subchapter II of this chapter to carry out the purposes of this subsection and the provisions cited in this paragraph, may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of law that restricts assistance to foreign countries, except for the provisions of this subsection, the provisions of law cited in this paragraph, subsection (f) of this section, section 2394–1 of this title, and provisions of law that limit assistance to organizations that support or participate in a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization included under the Child Survival and Health Programs Fund heading in the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 (Public Law 108–7).

(d) Administration of assistance

(1) Assistance under this part shall be administered so as to give particular attention to the interrelationship between

(A) population growth, and

(B) development and overall improvement in living standards in developing countries, and to the impact of all programs, projects, and activities on population growth. All appropriate activities proposed for financing under this part shall be designed to build motivation for smaller families through modification of economic and social conditions supportive of the desire for large families, in programs such as education in and out of school, nutrition, disease control, maternal and child health services, improvements in the status and employment of women, agricultural production, rural development, and assistance to the urban poor, and through community-based development programs which give recognition to people motivated to limit the size of their families. Population planning programs shall be coordinated with other programs aimed at reducing the infant mortality rate, providing better nutrition for pregnant women and infants, and raising the standard of living of the poor.

(2) Since the problems of malnutrition, disease, and rapid population growth are closely related, planning for assistance to be provided under subsections (b) and (c) of this section and under section 2151a of this title shall be coordinated to the maximum extent practicable.

(3) Assistance provided under this section shall emphasize low-cost integrated delivery systems for health, nutrition, and family planning for the poorest people, with particular attention to the needs of mothers and young children, using paramedical and auxiliary medical personnel, clinics and health posts, commercial distribution systems, and other modes of community outreach.

(e) Research and analysis

(1) Health and population research and analysis carried out under this chapter shall—

(A) be undertaken to the maximum extent practicable in developing countries by developing country personnel, linked as appropriate with private and governmental biomedical research facilities within the United States;

(B) take account of the special needs of the poor people of developing countries in the determination of research priorities; and

(2) The President is authorized to study the complex factors affecting population growth in developing countries and to identify factors which might motivate people to plan family size or to space their children.

(f) Prohibition on use of funds for performance or research respecting abortions or involuntary sterilization

(1) None of the funds made available to carry out subchapter I of this chapter may be used to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions.

(2) None of the funds made available to carry out subchapter I of this chapter may be used to pay for the performance of involuntary sterilizations as a method of family planning or to coerce or provide any financial incentive to any person to undergo sterilizations.

(3) None of the funds made available to carry out subchapter I of this chapter may be used to pay for any biomedical research which relates, in whole or in part, to methods of, or the performance of, abortions or involuntary sterilization as a means of family planning.

(g) Authorization of appropriations

(1) There are authorized to be appropriated to the President, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes—

(A) $290,000,000 for fiscal year 1986 and $290,000,000 for fiscal year 1987 to carry out subsection (b) of this section; and

(B) $205,000,000 for fiscal year 1986 and $180,000,000 for fiscal year 1987 to carry out subsection (c) of this section.

(2) Funds appropriated under this subsection are authorized to remain available until expended.

U.S. Code

§ 2151b. Population planning and health programs