IPPF recognizes and believes that 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.

Notes
1. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979, Art. 16.1: “States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations and in particular shall ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women: ... (e) the same rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights;”

Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, Art. 24.2: “States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right {i.e. as provided in Art. 24.1, namely the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health.} and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures: ... (f) to develop preventive health care, guidance for parents and family planning education and services.”

World Population Plan of Action, 1974, Art. 14(f): “All couples and individuals have the basic right to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to do so; the responsibility of couples and individuals in the exercise of this right takes into account the needs of their living and future children, and their responsibilities towards the community.”

Proclamation of Tehran, UN Conference on Human Rights, 1968, Paragraph 16: “The protection of the family and of the child remains the concern of the international community. Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”

World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children, World Summit for Children, 1990; Paragraph 14: (The Task) “Half a million mothers die each year from causes related to childbirth. Safe motherhood must be promoted in all possible ways. Emphasis must be placed on responsible planning of family size and on child spacing.”

Ibid, Paragraph 20(4): (The Commitment) “We will work to strengthen the role and status of women. We will promote responsible planning of family size, child spacing, breastfeeding and safe motherhood.”

2. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966, Art: 10.2: “Special protection should be accorded to mothers during a reasonable period before and after childbirth. During such periods working mothers should be accorded paid leave or leave with adequate social security benefits.”

The right can be used to address issues relating to:

• Unmet need for information, education and services related to sexual and reproductive health, safe motherhood and safe abortion
• Access to services that are available, affordable, acceptable and convenient
• Campaigning for services that offer the widest possible range of safe, effective and acceptable methods of fertility regulation
• Forced pregnancy
• Discrimination against women in the workplace that makes it difficult for them to have children and remain in employment
• Parental or spousal consent requirements for access to contraception or abortion services

Facts & figures

• More than 350 million couples worldwide do not have access to a full range of contraceptive methods and information.1
• Globally, there are an estimated 200 million pregnancies each year. About one third of these – approximately 75 million – are unwanted.1
• According to latest estimates a total of 122.7 million married women in the developing world have an unmet need for sexual and reproductive health services.2
• Women aged 15-24 years account for one third of the developing world’s unmet contraceptive needs.2
• More than 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have contraceptive prevalence rates below 10 per cent.3

1 Safe Motherhood Initiative www.safemotherhood.org
2 Ross, J. A. and Winfrey, W. L. (2000) ‘Unmet Need for Contraception in the Developing World and the Former Soviet Union: An Updated Estimate’ International Family Planning Perspectives 28 (3) pp138-143
3 Population Reference Bureau (2002) World Population Data Sheet