GENERAL COMMENTS OR RECOMMENDATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE Article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights gives the Human Rights Committee the mandate to publish General Comments. To date the Committee General Comment 120 has published 43 such General Comments. A few of these touch upon reproductive rights. Provisions related to Reproductive Rights General Comment No. 6 – Right to Life, 1982 According to Paragraph 5, “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 that it would be desirable for States parties to take all possible measures to reduce infant mortality and to increase life expectancy, especially in adopting measures to eliminate malnutrition and epidemics.” General ­Comment No. 17 – Rights of the Child, 1989 According to Paragraph 3, “Every possible economic and social ­measure should be taken to reduce infant mortality”. General ­Comment No. 19 – Protection of the family, the right to marriage and equality of the spouses, 1990 According to Paragraph 4, “no marriage shall be entered into ­without the free and full consent of the intending spouses … The Covenant does not establish a specifi c marriageable age either for men or for women, but that age should be such as to enable each of the intending spouses to give his or her free and full personal consent”. Paragraph 5 stipulates that the “right to found a family implies, in principle, the possibility to procreate and live together. When States parties adopt family planning policies, they should be compatible with the provisions of the Covenant and should, in particular, not be ­discriminatory or compulsory”.