Don't restrict
women's access to sexual and reproductive health services in contravention of
international standards, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Al Hussien, warned last week in New York.
The UN is averse
to the advice to women to delay getting pregnant due to the possible link
between the rampaging Zika virus and neurological disorders affecting newborns.
It says upholding
women’s human rights was essential if the response to the Zika health emergency
would be effective.
Telling women to
delay getting pregnant ignores the reality that many women and girls simply
cannot exercise control over when they become pregnant, especially in
environments where sexual violence is so common.
For instance, in
situations where sexual violence is rampant and sexual and reproductive health
services are unavailable, efforts to halt Zika crisis will not be enhanced by
stopping women from getting pregnant.
The UN says amid
the continuing spread of the virus, authorities must ensure that their public
health responses were pursued in conformity with human health-related rights
obligations.
It wants
governments ensure that women, men and adolescents have access to comprehensive
and Health services must be delivered in a way that ensures the woman’s
informed consent, respect for her dignity and the guarantee of her privacy.
`Laws and
policies that restrict her access to these services must be urgently reviewed
in line with human rights obligations in order to ensure the right to health
for all in practice.
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