William Helms: “during the course of the Senate's consideration of handing China the permanent most favored nation status--that is what…”

“during the course of the Senate's consideration of handing China the permanent most favored nation status--that is what it amounts to; just giving it to them--several of us have highlighted the abhorrent human rights record of the Communist Chinese Government. China's practice of forcing its women citizens to submit to abortions and/or sterilization--usually both--is not only revolting; it is shameful, because it is a practice that has been repeatedly documented for 20 years now. In fact, the most recent State Department Human Rights Report on China contains a detailed account of the cruel, coercive measures used by Chinese officials, such as forced abortion, forced sterilization, and detention of those who even dare to resist this inhumane treatment. My pending amendment proposes to put the Senate on record as condemning the Chinese dictatorship's barbaric treatment of its own people. Although the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party officially says--and I say absurdly says, and they say it--that forced abortion has no role in China's population control, it is, to the contrary, a known fact that the Chinese Government does indeed, absolutely, and without question, force women to submit to forced abortion and to sterilization. Communist Chinese authorities strictly enforce birth quotas imposed on its citizens.”