What is Your Stand on Reproductive Rights?

“I prefer to have only 1 child and use modern contraceptive methods until menopause”, Annie says.

It is a common knowledge that the liberty to decide on reproduction is part of our human rights. A woman decides whether to have (or not) have a child, how many, when to try.

Further, one’s reproductive rights also constitute the use of and access to modern family planning methods such as contraceptive pills, injectables and condoms. Including the addition of sex education in schools as well as the legality and accessibility of having safe abortion when necessary – which we all know is a very hot topic in almost every country.

According to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, women’s sexual and reproductive health is related to numerous human rights. It includes the right to life, the right to be free from torture, the right to health, the right to privacy, the right to education, and the prohibition of discrimination.

The Center for Reproductive Rights works on promoting these rights. Every individual’s reproductive rights should be exercised with freedom, without coercion nor violence. The reproductive rights, when implemented and participated, promotes human dignity, self-determination, equality and access to the best reproductive healthcare available.

However…

The Roman Catholic church and pro-life organizations are not amenable with the Reproductive Rights’ provisions.

Further, countries like the Philippines has recently introduced its Reproductive Health Bill, yet was welcomed with various opinions. As early as it was introduced for initiation, the proposal has received unfavorable comments and a good number of the population’s unwillingness to cooperate.

Even first-world countries like the United States of America suffers the same dilemma. Take for example the efforts of the Republican to remove Planned Parenthood funds as it includes abortion services.

Medical professionals promote Reproductive Rights specifically on the use of modern family planning methods as it promotes improvement in personal and family health. However, the option of having abortion, whether for medical reasons or not, somehow induce crisis and ethical dilemmas.