Advancing Reproductive Rights Beyond Cairo and Beijing

Abstract

This article provides an overview of gender issues related to reproductive health and human rights and identifies provisions of international human rights documents concerning reproductive health. These documents include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Convention on the Rights of the Child European Convention on Human Rights American Convention on Human Rights African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Cairo Program of Action and Beijing Declaration. The Cairo and Beijing documents are the most comprehensive in protecting the right to survival liberty and security the highest standard of living the benefits of scientific progress information education family integrity and nondiscrimination concerning sex age and disabilities. Human rights are violated directly by nations by national failure to provide reproductive services and by other patterns of discrimination in access to services in general and among subgroups such as adolescents. Committees created by the conventions must monitor national performance based on a set of agreed-upon standards and nations must enact laws that protect womens Some committees use the Cairo Program of Action as the standard. The Cairo plan reaffirms that everyone has the right to life. The lack of effective means of birth spacing and fertility control endangers womens survival and health. Womens ability to survive pregnancy is an issue of their being equal in dignity and rights. The Beijing Platform goes farther to condemn torture involuntary disappearance sexual slavery rape sexual abuse and forced pregnancy.