Empowering Choice: Why Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Needs a Human Rights-Based Approach?

Moving beyond the traditional public health model, a rights-based approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) reframes the conversation, recognising that every individual has fundamental, non-negotiable human rights related to their sexuality and reproduction. This paradigm shift focuses on empowering individuals rather than merely providing services. It aims to ensure greater social justice, reduce inequalities, and improve health outcomes.

This approach recognises that each person, regardless of their background, has the right to bodily autonomy and self-determination. It empowers individuals to make informed and free choices about their bodies. Furthermore, it relies on five key pillars: access, information, choice, privacy, and consent. Access ensures that everyone can receive quality services. Information provides people with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. Choice, privacy, and consent are the bedrock of personal freedom, allowing individuals to decide when and how to engage in sexual and reproductive acts without fear of coercion or judgement.

The real-world implications of this approach are profound and far-reaching. By focusing on rights, we tackle systemic inequalities that affect health outcomes. Evidence from low- and middle-income countries shows how a rights-based approach is crucial for achieving key Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It goes beyond mere health metrics to address the root causes of poor health, such as discrimination and gender-based violence. The costs of inaction on maternal mortality alone demonstrate the critical need for this framework, as its absence perpetuates devastating cycles of ill health and disempowerment.

While the idea is straightforward, implementing it can be complicated. Some researchers note that there is often no clear agreement on the specifics of this approach in areas like sexuality education, which makes consistent practice challenging. Nevertheless, this issue emphasises the need for ongoing advocacy and a commitment to make SRHR principles standard practice everywhere.

Ultimately, a rights-based approach transforms the conversation, turning what was once a health service into a catalyst for social justice and genuine human dignity. This principle has been supported by the United Nations, which recognises that SRHR is essential to several human rights, including the right to life, freedom from torture, and the right to health. A joint UN statement reports that significant progress has been made, with the number of women using modern contraception doubling since 1990 and maternal mortality falling by 34% since 2000. However, the UN also highlights that almost half of women of reproductive age still cannot make informed decisions about their bodies, stressing the urgent need to expand access and empower individuals to exercise these essential rights fully.

Despite these challenges, a rights-based approach to SRHR offers a strong framework for promoting health and human dignity. Incorporating human rights into health strategies can empower women and girls, creating a fairer world where everyone can access the care they need for a healthy life.

Sources:

1. Rights based approaches to sexual and reproductive health in low and middle-income countries: A systematic review

2. A Rights-Based Approach to Sexuality Education: Conceptualization, Clarification and Challenges

3. “Imagining the world anew”: a transformative, rights-based agenda for UHC and SRHR in 2021 and beyond

4. UNFPA Data Portal

5. World Bank indicators