EC and Human Rights
For many centuries women have been denied their basic human rights. As the fight for equality continues, it is inevitable to embark within this struggle the issues of health. Of main concern are the particular issues of women’s reproductive and sexual rights. In 1968 at the Human Rights World Conference the General Assembly of the United Nations established “that couples have the fundamental human right to decide the number and spacing of their children and the right to obtain an education and the methods necessary to do so.”, this declaration is part of the International Pact of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights of the United Nations to which many countries including Puerto Rico form a part of. This suggests that every woman has the right to choose whether or not she decides to have children and when she should have those children. This also ensures that she will have the education and services necessary to exercise this right. Access to modern contraception is part of this right and also allows women to separate their sexuality from their reproductive functions without risks (Latin American & Caribbean Women’s Health Network, 2003). Information and access to EC guarantees women their rights to make informed decisions about their reproduction and sexuality. Thus, it is an essential part of human rights to have access to health, which includes EC. If this access to EC depends on healthcare providers, then it is of enormous importance to study and understand what healthcare providers are doing to ensure the right of women to EC access.
