Reproductive rights

Reproductive rights or procreative liberty is what supporters view as human rights in areas of sexual reproduction. Advocates of reproductive rights support the right to control one's reproductive functions, such as the rights to reproduce (such as opposition to forced sterilization), as well as rights to not reproduce (such as support for access to birth control and abortion), the rights to privacy, medical coverage, contraception, family planning and protection from discrimination and harassment.

The term is largely perceived as being synonymous with the “pro-choice” position, which states that abortion should be a legal option for any pregnant woman. But reproductive rights are understood as encompassing more than just abortion. Members of the reproductive rights movement also believe that reproductive rights are human rights, and as such men and women should be granted affordable access to contraception, as well as education about contraception and sexually transmitted infections, and freedom from coerced sterilization and contraception.

Supporters of reproductive rights often take the position that such principles fall within the context of the right to privacy, or freedom from governmental interference, supporting legalized contraception and abortion. Some advocates also favor the term because they believe their position is a moral issue involving human rights.

In the United States Constitution, the right to privacy has been interpreted to include reproductive rights, as seen in such Supreme Court cases as Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), which legalized contraception for married people, and Roe v. Wade (1973), which legalized abortion on a federal level.

The term procreative liberty was coined by John A. Robertson, a professor of law and bioethics at the University of Texas School of Law.

Reproductive rights as a women's issue
Multiple women's groups have taken up the cause of reproductive rights. While a lot of emphasis has been placed on abortion rights, the causes that groups associate themselves with range from access to contraception, family planning services, sex education, and sexually transmitted infections to menopause.

There has also been an attempt to look at Meso and Macro conditions that affect a woman's access to reproductive health care. The term reproductive justice has been used to describe these broader social and economic issues. Proponents of reproductive justice argue that while the right to legalized abortion and contraception applies to everyone, these choices are only meaningful to those with resources; and that there is a growing gap between the legality and access (Kirk, Okazawa-Rey 2004).