GENEVA (27 May 2015) ? "A group of United Nations human rights experts today expressed alarm at the enactment of the Population Control Healthcare Bill in Myanmar, the first of four in a package of bills that seek to ?protect race and religion?. The bills are highly discriminatory against ethnic and religious minorities as well as against women. ?These bills risk deepening discrimination against minorities and setting back women?s rights in Myanmar,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee. ?At a time when thousands of Rohingya are already fleeing the country by boat, this sends precisely the wrong signal to these communities.” On Saturday, State media reported that the President of Myanmar had signed the Population Control Healthcare Bill. While the stated objectives of the Bill are to improve living standards, alleviate poverty, ensure quality healthcare and develop maternal and child health, its provisions are extremely vague and lack any protection against discrimination, the independent experts noted. Under the newly adopted law, certain areas can be designated for special health care measures, including birth spacing. ?Any coercive requirement for birth spacing with the aim to ?organise? family planning would constitute a disproportionate interference in the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and could amount to a violation of women?s human rights,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dainius Pûras, noting that the Bill allows township groups to ?organise? married couples to practice 36-month birth spacing between pregnancies. ?Women should be able to choose freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”..."