All persons* have a right to life and that no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of their life1. Genocide is a crime under international law2, and that this applies where measures including family planning are imposed which are intended to prevent births within a national, ethnic, racial, religious or cultural group with the intention of destroying, in whole or in part, that group, and, therefore, commits itself to the following:
1.1 No woman's life should be put at risk or endangered by reason of pregnancy. This right refers in particular to avoidable deaths – especially to the need to reduce the risk factors for high-risk pregnancies, such as those which are “too early, too late, too close or too many”.
1.2 No child's life should be put at risk or endangered, particularly not by reason of her/his gender.
1.3 No person's life should be put at risk or endangered by reason of lack of access to health care services and/or information, counselling or services related to sexual or reproductive health.†
AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following right:
1.4 The right of all girl infants to be free from the risk of female infanticide.
All persons have a right to liberty and security of the person and, therefore, commits itself to the following:
2.1 All persons have the right to be free to enjoy and control their sexual and reproductive life, having due regard to the rights of others.
2.2 All persons have the right to be free from any medical intervention related to their sexual and reproductive health save with their full, free and informed consent.
2.3 All females have the right to be free from all forms of genital mutilation.
2.4 All persons have the right to be free from sexual harassment. AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following rights:
2.5 All persons have the right to be free from externally imposed fear, shame, guilt, beliefs based on myths, and other psychological factors inhibiting their sexual response or impairing their sexual relationships.
2.6 All persons have the right to be free from forced pregnancy, sterilization and abortion.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and also recognizes the right of women not to be discriminated against* by way of legislation, regulation, customs, practices, social and cultural patterns of conduct or other customs or practices, which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women and, therefore, commits itself to the following:
3.1 No persons should be discriminated against in their sexual and reproductive lives, in their access to health care and/or services on the grounds of race, colour, sex or sexual orientation, marital status, family position, age, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
3.2 All persons have the right to equal access to education and information to ensure their health and well-being, including access to information, advice and services relating to their sexual and reproductive health and rights, irrespective of race, colour, poverty, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family position, age, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
3.3 All women and girl children have the right to appropriate nutrition and care throughout their life-span, and to be free from prejudicial, customary and all other practices that are based on the idea of inferiority or stereotyped roles for men and women and/or amount to discrimination against them.
3.4 No woman should be discriminated against in her access to education, information and/or services related either to development, or to her sexual and reproductive health and rights, including access to fertility regulation services, by reason that the consent of another is required.
3.5 No person should be subjected to any sexual or reproductive health care programme which has the effect of discriminating against particular population groups.
3.6 All persons have the right to protection from all forms of violence caused by reason of their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
3.7 All women have the right to protection from discrimination in social, domestic or employment spheres by reason of pregnancy or motherhood. AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following right:
3.8 No person shall be discriminated against in their access to information, health care, or services related to their sexual and reproductive health, rights and needs, throughout their life-span, on the grounds of gender, age, sexual orientation or mental or physical disability.
All persons have the right not to be subject to arbitrary interference with their privacy, family, home or correspondence and, therefore, commits itself to the following:
4.1 All sexual and reproductive health care services, including information and counselling, should provide clients with privacy and ensure that personal information given will remain confidential.
4.2 All women have the right to autonomous reproductive choices including choices relating to safe abortion.
4.3 All persons have the right to express their sexual orientation in order to have a safe and satisfying sex life, having due regard to the well-being and rights of others, without fear of persecution, or denial of liberty or social interference.
AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following right:
4.4 All sexual and reproductive health care services, including information and counselling services, provided should be made available to all individuals and couples, especially young people, on a basis which respects their rights to privacy and confidentiality.
All persons have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;1 that the right to freedom of opinion and expression includes the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas via any media and regardless of frontiers and, therefore, commits itself to the following:
5.1 All persons have the right to freedom of thought and speech related to their sexual and reproductive lives.
5.2 All persons have the right to protection against restrictions on grounds of thought, conscience and religion to their access to education and information related to their sexual and reproductive health.
5.3 Health care professionals have the right to conscientious objection with regard to providing contraception and abortion services only if they can refer the client to health professionals willing to provide the service immediately. No such right exists in emergency cases where lives are at risk.
AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following right:
5.4 All persons have the right to be free from the restrictive interpretation of religious texts, beliefs, philosophies and customs as tools to curtail freedom of thought on sexual and reproductive health care and other issues.
All persons have the right to education and, in particular, to specific educational information to ensure the health and well-being of persons and families including information and advice on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and, therefore, commits itself to the following:1
6.1 All persons have the right of access to education and correct information related to their sexual and reproductive health, rights and responsibilities that is gender-sensitive, free from stereotypes, and presented in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner.
6.2 All persons have the right to sufficient education and information to ensure that any decisions they make related to their sexual and reproductive life are made with full, free and informed consent.
6.3 All persons have the right to full information as to the relative benefits, risks and effectiveness of all methods of fertility regulation and the prevention of unplanned pregnancies.
The right to choose to marry and to found and plan a family is implicit in the right of all persons of full age* to marry † and to found a family without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion and, therefore, commits itself to the following:1
7.1 All persons have the right to protection against a requirement to marry without that person's full, free and informed consent.
7.2 All persons have the right of access to reproductive health care services including those who are infertile, or whose fertility is jeopardized by sexually transmitted infections.
The right to decide whether or when to have children is implied by the right,1 that all persons have, to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise this right, and further recognizes that special protection should be accorded to women during a reasonable period before and after childbirth, and, therefore, commits itself to the following:2
8.1 All women have the right to information, education and services necessary for the protection of reproductive health, safe motherhood and safe abortion and, which are accessible, affordable, acceptable and convenient to all users.
8.2 All persons have the right of access to the widest possible range of safe, effective and acceptable methods of fertility regulation.
8.3 All persons have the right to be free to choose and to use a method of protection against unplanned pregnancy which is safe and acceptable to them.
All persons have a right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and, therefore, commits itself to the following:1
9.1 All persons have the right to the highest possible quality in health care including all care related to their sexual and reproductive health.2
9.2 All persons have the right to comprehensive health care services including access to all methods of fertility regulation including safe abortion and diagnosis and treatment for infertility and sexually transmitted infections including Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).
9.3 All persons, and in particular the girl child and women, have the right to protection from traditional practices which are harmful to health.3
9.4 All women have the right to pregnancy and infertility counselling which empowers them to make their own decisions, based on information impartially presented.
9.5 All persons have the right to sexual and reproductive health care services as part of primary health care, which are comprehensive, accessible, both financially and geographically, private and confidential and, which pay due regard to the dignity and comfort of that person.
9.6 All women have the right to appropriate services in connection with pregnancy, confinement and post-natal health care, as well as adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation.4
9.7 All persons have the right to the protection of health, and safety in working conditions, including the safeguarding of the function of reproduction.5
9.8 All working mothers have the right to be accorded paid maternity leave, or maternity leave with adequate social security benefits.6
AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following rights:7
9.9 Every person has the right to sexual and reproductive health care including the following rights:
Information to know about the benefits and availability of sexual and reproductive health services and to know their rights in this regard;
Access to obtain services regardless of race, sex or sexual orientation, marital status, age, religious or political beliefs, ethnicity or disability;
Choice to decide freely on whether and how to control their fertility and which method to use;
Safety to be able to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy, disease and from violence;
Privacy to have a private environment during counselling and services;
Confidentiality to be assured that any personal information will remain confidential;
Dignity to be treated with respect, empathy, courtesy, consideration and attentiveness;
Comfort to feel comfortable when obtaining services;
Continuity to receive sexual and reproductive health services and supplies for as long as needed;
Opinions to freely express views on the services provided.
All persons have the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications and, therefore, commits itself to the following:1
10.1 All persons shall have the benefit of and access to available reproductive health care technology, including that related to infertility, contraception and abortion, where to withhold access to such technology would have harmful effects on health and wellbeing.
10.2 All persons shall be entitled to protection from and information on any harmful effects of reproductive health care technology on their health and well-being.
AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following right:
10.3 All clients of sexual and reproductive health services have the right to access all reproductive technologies that are safe and acceptable.
Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and, therefore, commits itself to the following:1
11.1 All persons have the right to assemble and to canvass for sexual and reproductive health and rights.
11.2 All persons have the right to form an association that aims to promote sexual and reproductive health and well-being.
AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following right:
11.3 All persons have the right to seek to influence governments to place a priority on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
All persons have the right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and not to be subjected to medical or scientific treatment without free and informed consent and, therefore, commits itself to the following:
12.1 All children* have the right to protection from all forms of exploitation and, in particular, sexual exploitation, child prostitution and all forms of sexual abuse, assault, and harassment, including coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity, the exploitation or use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices and the exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials.
12.2 No person should be subject to medical trials or experimentation related to sexuality or fertility regulation methods or techniques without their full, free and informed consent.
12.3 All women have the right to protection from traffic in women or exploitation of prostitution of them.
12.4 All civilians – women and men – have the right to be protected from degrading treatment and violence in relation to their sexuality and reproduction, especially during times of armed conflict.
AND further commits itself to taking all steps to ensure the attainment of the following right:
12.5 All persons have the right to protection from rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse and sexual harassment.
