Description
Human rights that are already recognised in national laws, international laws and international human rights documents and other consensus documents resting on the recognition of the basic rights 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.
Additional notes and information
It also includes the right to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence, as expressed in human rights documents.
The human rights of women include their right to have control over, and freely and responsibly decide upon, matters relating to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free from coercion, discrimination and violence. Equal relationships between women and men in matters of sexual relations and reproduction, including full respect for the bodily integrity of the person, require mutual respect, consent and shared responsibility for sexual behaviour and its consequences.
Sources
(1) International Conference on Population and Development – ICPD (1994). Program of Action, UN Doc. A/CONF.171/13 1994, para. 7.3.; (2) Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing Conference) (1995) – Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; (3) CEDAW Committee (2014). Statement of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on sexual and reproductive health and rights: Beyond 2014: ICPD review.