BOSTON, September 13, 2021—Women’s rights are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with reproductive rights specifically protected in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Written in 1948 and 1979 respectively, the language in these documents does not necessarily reflect contemporary conversations about the definitions of “sex” and “gender.”
Nevertheless, in places as diverse as Texas, the United States of America, and Kabul, Afghanistan, we see efforts to restrict the hard-fought rights enshrined in these two documents, rights that have often been denied to women and men, including transgender people, intersex people, and people with non-binary identities, as well as children, indigenous people, disabled people, and many others who were deemed “other” or “lesser” by those with power.
FSG has a history of working with partners to protect reproductive rights, such as our work with Rhia Ventures to make the business case for reproductive health, and a wider history of supporting gender equity projects. We will continue to support like-minded organizations that, like us, believe that sexual and reproductive rights are integral to basic human rights.
