International Human Rights Day: in support of the right to fertility, sexual and reproductive health
Infertility is a condition which implicates multiple human rights
Upon the occasion of celebrating the International Human Rights Day, let us highlight just a few of these relating to fertility and human reproduction.
For a start, the right to plan the timing and spacing of children. One should be able to decide on his/her own, whether he/she wants to have a family or not, and if so, when this will be, depending on personal, social, cultural and economic circumstances.
Then, all individuals in reproductive age have the right to benefit from scientific progress; to be informed about fertility preservation strategies, both for oncological reasons, as well as for the so-called social freezing of a woman’s eggs; to be informed about current methods to screen for their reproductive state, including ovarian egg reserve, state of fallopian tubes, anatomy of uterus and ovaries, sperm analysis and sperm function tests.
Moreover, the right to sexual and reproductive health ensures safe sexuality and maternity. It underscores the importance of access to contraception, as an effective strategy to avoid unwanted pregnancies, as well as access to safe and legal abortions, eliminating potentially serious risks of illegally terminating an unwanted pregnancy. Also, the right to sexual health translates into freedom from sexual violence. Every individual cannot and should not be forced into a sexual relationship without consenting to it.
Last, the all timely right to non-discrimination, when it comes to access of sexual health and infertility services, in specific, discrimination against social, economic and gender-related issues. As discrimination issues challenge policy makers across the board, it is essential to guarantee equal and fair access to provision of fertility services. Every individual and couple, upon deciding to have some form of infertility treatment done, have the right to informed consent and confidentiality.
©2021, Nicholas Christoforidis, Fertility Matters
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