You have the right to access information about the state of your reproductive and sexual health. You also have the right to receive information about the basic principles of reproductive and sexual health care and its promotion.
Access to information about reproductive and sexual health
Reproductive rights include your right to access information about various aspects of your reproductive and sexual health, as well as the medical aspects of its protection. This right is a part of the more general human right to health and also affects your ability to make decisions about your private life.
This means that you have the right to receive information about the state of your reproductive and sexual health. If you are pregnant, this also includes information about the state of health of the foetus. You also have the right to receive full information about the basic principles of reproductive and sexual health care, including information about prophylaxis, contraception and birth control.
The right to access information about the state of your reproductive health is crucial, as you have the right to choose medical treatment and make other decisions affecting your private life. Your ability to make an informed decision depends on the information you receive.
example Access to information about an illness that you may have, the different treatments available and their potential impact on pregnancy in future is crucial for identifying risks and planning your pregnancy accordingly.
Access to information about your reproductive and sexual health is also closely connected to access to reproductive and sexual health care.
Correct & Timely information
The right to access information about your reproductive health means that you should be involved in the choice of medical treatment and be fully, correctly and properly informed about the risks and consequences of a particular medical procedure, for example, about the possible negative consequences of abortion. Access to information should also be timely, as certain situations require prompt decisions.
example Access to relevant information on the mother’s and the foetus’ health should not be delayed, since such information may reveal potential risks to their lives and health, and may thus be decisive in the mother’s choice of whether to continue the pregnancy. The time factor is of critical importance here, as the possibility of terminating a pregnancy is limited in time.
Medical data
Information about the state of your sexual and reproductive health and the medical treatment that you have received in that regard, is your personal data and is considered to be particularly sensitive. Your right to access your medical data, as well as to have your medical data properly protected, is a part of the human right to a private life.
Read more about your medical data protection.
What human rights violations may there be?
If you have been denied access to information about your reproductive and sexual health or you have not been correctly or properly informed in a timely way, this may lead to a violation of your right to a private life. If you have been denied information about reproductive and sexual health issues in general, such as contraception options for example, your human right to health may have been violated.
example If you decided to terminate pregnancy only because you were given contradictory or misleading information that the pregnancy could pose a danger to your life or health, your right to a private life may have been violated.
Read more about medical negligence and how to complain where you believe your rights have been violated.