Inter-American Court Condemns Peru for Forced Sterilizations: A Stark Warning for Sovereign Nations

In a grave ruling underscoring the catastrophic consequences of unchecked government power, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CorteIDH) condemned Peru this March for its role in forced sterilizations that ended in the death of Celia Ramos Durand in 1997. This case shines an unforgiving light on a national health program that violated human rights under the guise of reproductive health. How Did Government Coercion Become Public Policy? The Program National de Salud Reproductiva y Planificación Familiar (1996-2000) aimed ostensibly to promote voluntary surgical contraception. Instead, it transformed into a systematic campaign coercing more than 314,000 women and 24,000 men—primarily...