Right to Life

The United Nations Human Rights Committee observed in its General Comment Number 6 that,

the right to life has been too often narrowly interpreted. The expression ‘inherent right to life’ cannot properly be understood in a restrictive manner and the protection of this right requires that States adopt positive measures. In this connection, the Committee considers it desirable for States Parties to take all possible measures to reduce infant mortality and increase life expectancy, especially in adopting measures to eliminate malnutrition and epidemics.

Significant advances toward the full realization of the economic, social and cultural rights dimensions of the right to life continue to be made. One initial resource on the right is Center for Economic and Social Rights and the Indian Case;

Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation

An additional resource on the right is Front Line's online Civil and Political Rights Manual entry on the right to life.

The following case studies and summaries illustrate how human rights defenders have used the ESC rights approach to promote and protect the right to life:

• African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Decision on Communication 155/96 The Social and Economic Rights Action Center and the Center for Economic and Social Rights / Nigeria Case Summary
• Hoffman v. South African Airways Case Summary
• Pashim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity v. State of West Bengal Case Summary
• Guatemalan Union Leaders Face Stiff Reprisals for Opposing Unsafe Working Conditions
• Water Privateers Forced Out of Bolivia
• Shantistar Builders v. Narayan Khimali Tatome and Others Case Summary

Two important quantifying and qualifying tools that are useful when monitoring program service delivery on the right to life are the Revised Guidelines Regarding the Form and Contents of Report to be submitted by States Parties under Articles 16 and 17 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Millennium Development Goals.

Right to Life Dossier

• Article 6(6)of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• Article (4)(1) of the American Convention on Human Rights
• Article 2(a) of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
• Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
• Article 2 of the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid
• Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights