the roots of the doctrine begin with the lineage of clinton's political career from standing in the shadow of her husband, president bill clinton, as first lady, to being put in the public spotlight in her own right during a speech she gave at the fourth world conference on women in 1995 in beijing. in this speech, clinton made the proclamation that, "if there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all." this statement was a pivotal moment and starting point in the formation of what subsequently became known as the hillary doctrine.