REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Reproductive rights embrace certain
human rights that are already recognised in national laws, international
human rights documents and other consensus documents. These rights
rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals
to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing
of their children and to have the information and means to do so,
and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive
health. It also includes their right to make decisions concerning
reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence, as expressed
in human rights documents."
Paragraph 7.3 of the ICPD Programme
of Action.
| Human
Right |
Reproductive
health obligations |
| |
|
| Right
to life and survival |
- Prevent
avoidable maternal deaths.
- End
female feticide and infanticide.
- Screen
for cancers that can be detected early and treated.
- Ensure
access to dual-protection contraceptive methods.
|
| Right
to liberty and security of the person |
- Eliminate
female genital mutilation.
- Obtain
informed consent for all procedures, including HIV testing,
sterilisation, and abortion.
- Encourage
clients to make independent RH decisions.
Stop sexual trafficking.
|
| Right
to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment |
- Protect
and care for survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse
and prosecute the perpetrators.
- Prohibit
involuntary abortion and sterilisation.
- Eliminate
rape as an instrument of war.
|
| Right
to marry and found a family |
- Prevent
early or coerced marriages.
- Provide
access to infertility services to women and men.
- Prevent
and treat reproductive tract infections that cause infertility.
|
| Right
to decide the number and spacing of one's children |
- Provide
access to a range of contraceptive methods.
- Help
people choose and use a family planning method.
- Provide
access to safe abortion services, where legal.
|
| Right
to the highest attainable standard of health |
- Provide
access to affordable, acceptable, and comprehensive RH services.
Provide high-quality care.
- Allocate
available resources fairly.
- Provide
access to effective approaches to cervical cancer screening/early
treatment.
|
| Right
to the benefits of scientific progress |
- Fund
research on women's as well as men's health needs.
- Provide
access to emergency contraception.
- Provide
access to antiretroviral treatment for AIDS.
- Provide
access to obstetric care that can prevent maternal deaths.
|
| Right
to non-discrimination and respect for difference |
- Offer
RH services to all groups, including adolescents, unmarried
women, and refugees.
- Ensure
that a husband's or parent's consent is not required for
RH services.
- Offer
services that meet women's and men's distinctive RH needs.
|
| Right
to receive and impart information |
- Make
family planning information freely available.
- Offer
sufficient information for people to make good RH decisions.
|
| Right
to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion |
- Do
not limit RH services, such as emergency contraception,
on religious grounds.
- Allow
providers to refuse to offer contraceptive and abortion
services on the grounds of conscience where referrals are
possible and treatment in emergency situations is protected.
|
| Right
to privacy |
- Ensure
privacy for all services.
- Keep
client's information confidential.
|
