KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Women’s rights are human rights, because women are human too. The last century has seen a long struggle, around the world, for legal recognition of that basic fact.What is a basic human right?
There are four key types of basic rights that contribute to the human rights framework.
The human rights framework is a valuable tool for understanding the global problem of maternal mortality, morbidity, and perinatal mortality, and the obligations of governments to provide maternity care that is accessible and affordable to all citizens.
LIFE
The right to life is the right on which all other rights depend. It imposes on the State an obligation not only to refrain from threatening or killing people, but also to promote the conditions necessary for survival.
HEALTH
The human right to health means that every person should be able to access affordable healthcare necessary to maintain health and well-being.
PRIVACY
The right to privacy protects every person’s ability to make personal decisions about sexuality, reproduction, and the family without government interference.
EQUAL TREATMENT
All people are entitled to exercise the full range of human rights, without facing different treatment on the basis of personal characteristics.
HUMAN RIGHTS STORIES
Join HRiC’s Key Stakeholder Advisory Group
HRiC is forming a global network of lawyers, researchers and advocates dedicated to improving maternity care - everywhere. Join us! Human Rights in Childbirth (HRiC) is developing a new strategy to inform our advocacy and strategic direction over the next three...
The Spotlight on Human Rights in Pregnancy and Childbirth
Human rights instruments have always provided the means to protect the full spectrum of reproductive rights available to women, pregnant or otherwise. Despite that, there remains substantial confusion and disagreement about the scope and unfettered application of...
Clemency for Ágnes Geréb!
Independent midwife Agnes Gereb does not have to serve a prison sentence!
Universal rights
HRiC Board President Nicholas Rubashkin, M.D., M.A. In some parts of the world, women’s movements have overcome significant opposition to secure basic political, economic, and reproductive rights, like the right to go to school, and to choose whether to...
Agnes Gereb Sentenced to Two Years in Prison
Agnes Gereb, pioneering obstetrician and independent midwife, has been sentenced to two years in prison with no chance of appeal. Trailblazers like Agnes, who dedicate their life’s work to making change that benefits mothers and babies, should be celebrated and not...
What is a specific medical right?
You “own” your body and have the power to make all of the decisions about what will be done to it.
When a patient hires or consults with a doctor, the doctor can assess the client’s condition and file, and make a recommendation. The patient has a right to consider the doctor’s recommendation, including an offer of surgery or another intervention, and say “Yes” or “No.”
MEDICAL REFUSAL
The human right to refuse medical treatment means that the patient is the legal authority in decisions about their care.
INFORMED CONSENT
The right to informed consent is a fundamental healthcare right grounded, like the right of refusal, in the right of every human being to autonomy and authority over their own body.
SPECIFIC MEDICAL RIGHTS STORIES
Forced Sterilisation during Caesarean and Informed Consent – the case of I.V. vs Bolivia
I.V. vs. Bolivia was the first time the Inter-American Court of Human Rights analysed the foundations of the right to informed consent.
Shared Decision Making in Maternity Care
In this article HRiC outlines its opinion on shared decision making and how it relates to human rights, specifically in maternity care.
Right to Informed Consent
The right to informed consent is a fundamental healthcare right grounded, like the right of refusal, in the right of every human being to autonomy and authority over their own body. When a doctor or other healthcare provider recommends an intervention or treatment,...
Maternity care with human rights: informed consent and refusal
The right to informed consent and refusal is a human right. And importantly, it is a human right in childbirth. What is the Right to Informed Consent and Refusal? The right to informed consent and refusal is a fundamental healthcare right. It is grounded in the right...
