In 1979 the World Health Organization unanimously condemned the practice on medical and humane grounds. It was outlawed in the U. S. in 1993. The need to control population, particularly in the underdeveloped world, has led to many questions concerning the authority of local custom. Are there reproductive rights claimed by individuals against societies, such as China, which uses coercive techniques to limit family size, or formerly Communist Romania, which forbade birth control in an effort to boost population. Both the US Constitution and the UN Declaration uphold a right to be free from cruel and inhuman punishment.
Some societies punish by amputation and caning, which are considered cruel and unusual here.
Yet the US has been widely condemned for its use of the death penalty, especially in the case of children and mentally deficient offenders. This gives us a case in which the US has been found wanting in terms of universal human rights. Final drafts are due on the first Monday after completing the unit. Video, Beyond Beijing . Jamaica Kincaid, Annie John .