Introduction
The sexual and reproductive health are the interconnected with broader human right concerns, such as the right to life, right not to be subjected to torture or any other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, right of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health,righ t qually free from discrimination,r ight of security, freedom from servitude,e ducation, privacy ( on Intimacy) etc. Both the Commiteee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) have confirmed that the right to health for women includes their sexual and reproductive health.
Cairo Programme of Action
The very concepts of reproductive health and what
constituted family planning were broadened at the 1994 International Conference
on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, which redefined the debate as
far more than just population control, and at the 1995 Fourth World Conference
on Women (FWCW) in Beijing. This led to the two major documents, namely the
Platform for Action and the Beijing Declaration, which went on to provide a
supportive political environment towards reproductive health both nationally as
well internationally. These conferences shifted the discourse on population and
family planning to one that included human rights dimensions (thus opening up
the conversation) and compelled NGOs, governments, and organizations other than
UNFPA all over the world to do much more about reproductive health.
U.S. reproductive health
The current focus of the American reproductive health agenda is abortion choice, with little regard for other issues that fall under the same umbrella. This essay provides a succinct overview of the history of reproductive rights as well as the difficulties encountered during their development into the reproductive justice movement. It continues by urging the reproductive justice movement to embrace a more inclusive and morally sound framework for women's health, one that is even more deeply rooted in ideas that support women embracing their feminine power. With the help of this new framework, a new movement will be born, one that will truly represent the voices of all women by forging new alliances, developing unconventional alliances, and strengthening the reproductive justice and optimal health movements.
Principles of Yogyakarta
The Yogyakarta Principles, which were released by a group of
experts in November 2006, detail how international human rights law can be
applied to the particular issue of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Although these principles are not yet enshrined in national law, the Preamble
states that all should be able to make decisions on sexual and reproductive
health free of violence, coercion or discrimination because those choices and
decisions must come from a position of autonomy. Principle :
The Right to Treatment with Humanity while in Detention All
persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect
for the inherent dignity of the human person. In particular, no one deprived of
freedom should be subjected to ongoing natural or physical conditions that
adversely affect health, such as lack of air conditioning in hot climates or
unwashed blankets and clothes.(metadata).States should make every effort to
ensure readily accessible HIV/AIDS prevention information, education and voluntary
confidential counseling and testing, adequate medical care including
prophylaxis against opportunistic infections, adequate mental health services,
access medications , access to comprehensive sexual health information. States
must recognize needs specific populations based on sexual orientation &
gender identity. ( metadata ) This includes access to reproductive health
services, information and treatment for individuals with HIV/AIDS, hormone
therapy and gender reassignment processes. However, countries in Africa.
Reproductive Choice - Family Planning
The UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) recognizes reproductive choice as a human right, which means that it gives women the power to decide when or even if they have children; the right to keep or terminate an unwanted pregnancy and dictates their favoured methods of family planning and creating a sustainable future. One nongovernmental report documented widespread pregnancy discrimination against women employed in the export-processing (maquiladora) sector in Mexico, which infringed on this right. A 1974 fact-finding mission revealed that would-be job applicants took pregnancy tests as a routine part of the application process and any women employed were dismissed on learning that they were pregnant. Company nurses could even require women to show sanitary napkins as a condition of holding jobs. The report concluded that these practices penalize women for exercising their reproductive choices and restrict their ability to freely decide on family planning, holding the Mexican government responsible for ensuring that such discriminatory employment practices are stopped.
Equality Before the Law
In Indonesia, their regulation on reproductive health
requires spousal consent for some procedures in an extended act of women's
right violation for equal legal capacity informed and confidential healthcare
providing. A woman cannot even get a sterilization done unless the spouse signs
up for it. Moreover, even though abortion is banned mostly, it is legal if the
life of the mother is in danger but this requires also "the husband or
family member" agree with you along your pregnant woman. It is discriminatory
to expand the definition of rape, denying women a basic human right on grounds
which treat them unequally before the law.
It is not the only one but another that reflects a legal
inequality of women are laws on abortion. Even in states where abortion is
legal for a very narrow range of reasons, there are not the appropriate
mechanisms to allow women access their rights. An extreme example of this comes
from Zimbabwe, where a rape victim requested an abortion but did not receive
authorization in time and ended up giving birth one month later. As abortion is
illegal save for exceptions in some states within Mexico, it lacks an
established legal procedure to determine when an abortion may be legally
justified. And, despite the fact that women can end up in jail, one way to
side-step prison is through payment of bribes.
Conclusion
A number of national laws, the constitutions and treaties at
regional and international level protect human rights related with reproductive
rights. These rights seek to tackle the root causes of ill health, while also
promoting good sexual and reproductive health outcomes. This year, three main
areas stand out.
1.Reproductive Self-determination: This category promotes a
woman to be viewed as an independent person who may make her birth control and
dosing decisions free from coercion, interference or violence.
2. Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services,
Information and Education**: the right to access appropriate available
resources, including health care services; goods and information; to facilitate
realization of sexual reproductive health.
3. Equality and Non-Discrimination: This guarantees
conditions under which all individuals and couples can decide freely and
responsibly on matters related to sexuality and reproduction, irrespective of
discrimination, with substantive equality taking place as the guiding tool for
both interpretation of this principle and any resulting legislation.
Reproductive rights are essential to advancing the health
and human rights of women throughout their lifecycle, and they also have
intrinsic value. As with every social rights, reproductive and sexual rights
are founded on the recognition of the equal dignity of all human beings.