State Department report will trim language on women's rights, discrimination

Feb. 21, 2018 (Politico), State Department report will trim language on women's rights, discrimination, Nahal Toosi:

Each year the State Department issues an annual report on global human rights.  This year, Politico reports that State Department officials have been ordered to cut down passages that discuss women's reproductive rights and discrimination. 

The directive calls for stripping passages that describe societal views on family planning, including how much access women have to contraceptives and abortion. 

A broader section that chronicles racial, ethnic and sexual discrimination has also been ordered pared down, . . . current and former [State Department] officials said.

Some career State Department officials have expressed concern that the changes could undermine the report’s impact and integrity.  One State Department official said, "This sends a clear signal that women's reproductive rights are not a priority for this administration, and that it's not even a rights violation we must or should report on." A spokesperson for the State Department stated that any changes were made for focus and “clarity.”