REproductive rights
What are Reproductive Rights?
"The World Health Organization states that "Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence (WHO)." The most common controversy over reproductive rights is Abortion. Men also have reproductive rights: they now have issues concerning their reproductive health. The term "male abortion" was created by Melanie McCulley, a South Carolina attorney, in a 1998 article. Her theory presents the case that when women become pregnant, they have three options: abortion, adoption and being a parent. She states that in the context of legalized gender, the alleged father should receive all future parenting and financial rights, leaving the woman with the same three options (McCulley). Facts Here are some facts presented by Do Something. Org:
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What is the History of Reproductive Rights?
Reproductive rights began to appear in the 1968 Proclamation of Teheran, which states: "Parents have a basic right to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and a right to adequate education and information in this respect". In a landmark decision, Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), the Supreme Court established that the right to privacy lies in underlining meanings of the Constitution. Laws prohibiting contraceptive and reproductive choice violated this right. This decision was then extended to unmarried couples in Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972). In 1973, the Supreme Court heard the case of Jane Roe, a single mother from Texas, who claimed the state violated her constitutional rights by banning the legal practice of abortion. By a 7-2 vote, the Court agreed. Since Roe v. Wade, the controversy has been drawn between pro-choice (supporters) and anti-choice (non-supporter). A federal judge imparted the right to purchase contraceptives to unmarried minors in 1974 (U.S. Supreme...). For more Supreme Court Cases from 1891 to Present: http://reproductiverights.org/en/document/us-supreme-court-case-summaries-privacy-law-1891-present Timeline: https://docs.google.com/a/mail.usf.edu/file/d/14DKkq_ M9wSIo-vcyy90AjwQwL6DgQnPg96J8pZN69p0B__ k5eHWbAAfTEi3N/edit?usp=sharing Reproductive Rights Around the World: In Iraq, abortion is under harsh restrictions. Under article 63 of Iraq’s Penal Code, Iraqi women can only have an abortions to save her life or because of fetal impairment. "An Iraqi woman is required to receive approval from two physicians and written consent from her husband," in order to have a legal abortion, which is extremely difficult (JMU). The Chinese government directly supports contraceptive use. In this country, it is illegal to become pregnant with permission and approval from the government. "Although the use of equipment for gender selection is proscribed, the patriarchal driving force lures families to desire and birth a male child to 1) carry on the family name and 2) to legally have another child (JMU)." France, in 1975, "liberalized its abortion law, later to be formally adopted by Parliament in December 1979. Before 1975, abortions were prohibited unless the woman’s life was at risk (JMU)." |
References:
"11 Facts About Reproductive Rights ." Do Something. N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013.
<http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-reproductive-rights>.
Cottingham, Jane. "Using Human Rights for Sexual and Reproductive Health: Improving Legal and
Regulatory Frameworks." . N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr 2013.
<http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/7/09-063412/en/>.
McCulley, Melanie G. "The male abortion: the putative father's right to terminate his
interests in and obligations to the unborn child". 1998. The Journal of Law and
Policy VII (1): 1–55. 15 April 2013. PMID 12666677
"Proclamation of Teheran". International Conference on Human Rights. 1968. Retrieved 2013-15-04.
http://web.archive.org/web/20071017025912/http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/b_tehern.htm
"Time-Line on Reproductive Rights." Google. N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013. <https://docs.google.com/a/mail.usf.edu/file/d/14DKkq_M9wSIo-vcyy90AjwQwL6DgQnPg96J8pZN69p0B__k5eHWbAAfTEi3N/edit>.
"U.S. Supreme Court Case Summaries: Privacy Laws 1891 to Present." Reproductive Rights .
N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013.
<http://reproductiverights.org/en/document/us-supreme-court-case-summaries-privacy-law-1891-present>.
"Women's Reproductive Rights: Iraq, China, France and USA." JMU Women's Student Caucus. N.p..
Web. 15 Apr 2013. <http://jmuwomensstudentcaucus.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/womens-reproductive-rights-iraq-china-france-and-usa/>.