In a vote of 419 to 1 yesterday, the House of Representatives approved House Resolution 1370, which calls for an end to Chinese human rights abuses, such as China’s coerced abortion and involuntary sterilization policies. The measure seeks to ensure that the Olympic Games take place “in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness.”
As originally drafted, the resolution failed to address the abusive Chinese coercive population control policy. Chris Smith introduced an amendment to the resolution in the Foreign Affairs Committee that called on “the Government of the People’s Republic of China to abandon its coercive population control policy which includes forced abortion and involuntary sterilization.”
As chairman of House human rights committees, Rep. Smith has held over 25 hearings on human rights abuses by the Chinese government. He has been a long-time champion for Chinese human rights throughout the years.
Smith stated that China’s one-child policy “is the largest violation of women’s rights in the history of human kind.” He continued, asserting that “With its heavy reliance on forced abortion, involuntary sterilization and ruinous fines for illegal children, the policy, in effect since 1979, constitutes one of the greatest continuous crimes against humanity in human history.”
Smith highlighted the atrocious harm that has been done to Chinese women, exclaiming that “China’s coercive population control program has imposed unspeakable violence, pain and humiliation on hundreds of millions of Chinese women, many of whom suffer lifelong depression as a consequence.”
Not only has the coercive one-child policy harmed living women, it has created a huge gender disparity in China through sex-selective abortions. Smith stated: “As a direct result of the government’s one-child policy, tens of millions of girls are missing today…The lost girls of China is a gendercide.”
The Olympic Games has lead to heightened human rights abuses, as the Chinese government increasingly seeks to silence Chinese human rights activists from bringing attention to the government’s barbaric policies during the Olympic games. Rep. Smith asserted that “Tragically, but predictably, the Olympics have been an occasion of a massive crackdown designed to silence and put beyond reach all those Chinese whose views differ from the government line.” Chinese government officials have doubled their efforts to fill their jails, investigate, watch, intimidate and house arrest human rights activists. Rep. Smith experienced this “crackdown” when his trip to China was disrupted when human rights lawyers were detained by Chinese police when they tried to meet with Rep. Smith.
Rep. Joe Pitts commended the passage of the resolution, stating: “I hope this resolution right before the President leaves for Bejing makes a strong statement. I urge the President to pressure Chinese officials to end their government’s human rights abuses – especially the appalling policy of forced abortions. Coercive abortion is a most horrific violation of the most basic human rights of families in China.”
The Press Secretary reported that President Bush met with five Chinese human rights activists at the White House this Tuesday. The President assured them that he would carry the message of freedom with him to Bejing when he attends the Olympic Games. The President stated that his trip to China gives him an opportunity to make the United States position clear – human rights and religious freedom should not be denied to anyone.
A video of speeches given by Chris Smith and Joe Pitts during the Committee debate can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/prolifeinformation
