Change Our World: Defending Sexual and Reproductive Rights

On April 1, 2016 the Amnesty International Annual General Meeting and Human Rights Conference will begin. The theme of this year’s conference is Change Our World. This three day event will highlight various Human Rights issues around the world. One area of interest this year is “Defending Sexual and Reproductive Rights”.

What are Sexual and Reproductive Rights, you may ask? We all have the right to make decisions about our own health, body, sexuality and reproductive life, without fear, coercion, violence or discrimination. But all over the world, people's freedom to make these decisions is sometimes controlled by the state, medical professionals, even their own families. Criminal law and punitive sanctions are frequently used to control such choices. In the end, many people are prevented from making any choice at all.

Sexual and reproductive rights mean you have the right to:
• Make decisions about our own health, body, sexual life and identity without fear of coercion or criminalization
• Seek and receive information about sexuality and reproduction and access related health services and contraception
• Have access to comprehensive education on human sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, human rights and gender equality
• Decide whether and when to have children, and how many to have
• ​Access safe abortion services in cases of rape, incest, when the life or health of the pregnant woman is at risk, or when there is severe or fatal fetal impairment
• Choose our intimate partner, whether and when to marry and what type of family to create
• Live free from discrimination, coercion and violence, including rape and other sexual violence, female genital mutilation/cutting, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, forced sterilization and forced marriage

What are your thoughts on this topic?