The Use of Forced Sterilisation as a Key Component of Population Policy: Comparative Case Studies of China, India, Puerto Rico and Singapore

Abstract

In the years before the UN international human rights became fundamental values of law and ethics, family planning programmes designed to control population growth were adopted by many countries. This article compares the implementation of sterilisation campaigns in four countries that have used a degree of incentivisation or coercion. For each selected country, we aimed to explore two questions: How was mass sterilisation implemented, and were human rights protected? The countries are China, India, Puerto Rico and Singapore. We suggest that sterilisation should be readily available as part of an overall sexual and reproductive health service, but people’s sexual and reproductive rights must take priority.