Women’s sexual health and reproductive rights have been a hot button issues for decades, if not centuries. Women constantly battle for equal treatment in these areas, but why? An even better question to ask is, why haven’t they received it yet? This question becomes especially valid when one reflects on the many ways in which religion has swayed our ethical beliefs. Women’s sexual and reproductive health is directly tied to many basic human rights, including 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 (5). Because of this, any intercession of women’s sexual and reproductive rights is a violation of basic human rights.
Both the …show more content…
Notwithstanding these obligations, violations of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights occur quite frequently. These violations take many forms, including denying access to services that only women require (such as abortions) or offering poor quality services. Women’s access to care is often subjected to third party authorization and intense procedures are sometimes performed without the woman’s consent- including forced sterilizations, virginity exams, and abortions. Infringements on women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health services often have deep roots in societal values regarding female sexuality (5). The societal values we hold concerning female sexuality often stem from religious views. This influences how women are treated in their daily lives and their access to reproductive health care- because the way society views certain issues influences who is elected and which bills/laws are passed. A patriarchal concept of a woman's role within the family is that the woman’s is value is placed on her ability to marry, reproduce and raise children- so why would birth control or establishments like planned parenthood be necessary? Especially because the Christian/Catholic assumption is that every decent woman has …show more content…
This is mostly due to economic, social and cultural barriers that hinder access to family planning services, education and contraceptives. Women who already face disparities should be a top priority to provide services to, in order to prevent further disparities and the cycle of disadvantage. The right to family planning services without discrimination is absolutely integral to a solid family foundation. At the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, states realized “the correlation between women’s health and their ability to access family planning and other reproductive health services.” (2). The document outlines political commitments to provide universal access to a complete range of family planning methods and to recognize the specific needs of vulnerable groups. Many marginalized adolescents do not have access to quality sex education or reproductive health services, which leads to the continuation of the cycle of disadvantage. There are many racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities that play into family planning discrepancies. These disparities contribute to the cycle of disadvantage because people who are already behind are denied the services needed to plan for their families future (3). Patient behaviors, unique health care system factors, and provider bias all contribute to disparities in family planning
Both the …show more content…
Notwithstanding these obligations, violations of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights occur quite frequently. These violations take many forms, including denying access to services that only women require (such as abortions) or offering poor quality services. Women’s access to care is often subjected to third party authorization and intense procedures are sometimes performed without the woman’s consent- including forced sterilizations, virginity exams, and abortions. Infringements on women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health services often have deep roots in societal values regarding female sexuality (5). The societal values we hold concerning female sexuality often stem from religious views. This influences how women are treated in their daily lives and their access to reproductive health care- because the way society views certain issues influences who is elected and which bills/laws are passed. A patriarchal concept of a woman's role within the family is that the woman’s is value is placed on her ability to marry, reproduce and raise children- so why would birth control or establishments like planned parenthood be necessary? Especially because the Christian/Catholic assumption is that every decent woman has …show more content…
This is mostly due to economic, social and cultural barriers that hinder access to family planning services, education and contraceptives. Women who already face disparities should be a top priority to provide services to, in order to prevent further disparities and the cycle of disadvantage. The right to family planning services without discrimination is absolutely integral to a solid family foundation. At the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, states realized “the correlation between women’s health and their ability to access family planning and other reproductive health services.” (2). The document outlines political commitments to provide universal access to a complete range of family planning methods and to recognize the specific needs of vulnerable groups. Many marginalized adolescents do not have access to quality sex education or reproductive health services, which leads to the continuation of the cycle of disadvantage. There are many racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities that play into family planning discrepancies. These disparities contribute to the cycle of disadvantage because people who are already behind are denied the services needed to plan for their families future (3). Patient behaviors, unique health care system factors, and provider bias all contribute to disparities in family planning