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Body autonomy is a fundamental human right that has not yet found its grounding. This concept in its simple terms means that we have a right to do whatever we like with our bodies. As extreme this concept might sound, it has its pros and cons.
“Bodily autonomy is defined as the right to make decisions about your own body, life, and future, without coercion or violence. It includes deciding whether or not to have sex, use contraception, or go to the doctor.” My body, my choice: Defending bodily autonomy| MSI, United States
Body autonomy is an important determinant in deciding what reproductive rights are. Reports have it that the concept of reproductive rights have been deteriorating over the years because of the factors of religion, culture and even education. The opposite of body autonomy is reproductive coercion.
While this concept might sound extreme, its pros are really essential to women for their total reproductive freedom. Some women are coerced into reproductive implications they want no part of.
Why does this concept mostly concern women?
Most times when you hear the concept of body autonomy, it is mostly propagated for women by women. Body autonomy is mostly applicable to women because most times they bear the fruit of a collective reproductive activity.
If a woman gets pregnant from sexual intercourse, she carries the baby while the man is free to gallivant around. The point where she decides to carry the baby or not is where the concept of body autonomy comes in.
The illegality of abortion is an obstruction to body autonomy as it strips women of the ability to decide what to do with their bodies.According to Resilience , restrictive reproductive rights constitutes increased risks of forced pregnancies, reproductive coercion, and physical violence.
Victims of rape as much as possible want to do away from anything that reminds them of their predicament but with restrictive reproductive rights, they’re unable to do away with the trigger that causes them pain.
Body autonomy can also come in the sense of birth control. There are some cultures who still frown at women using birth control because they tag the primary role of women to be pushing out children.
This situation makes the woman very dependent on the man because almost every time she is tied to the responsibility of taking care of infants and toddlers. She has no financial independence of her own such that if she is being molested, she has no choice than to stick to the father of her kids.
This concept also branches out into the choice of who to have sex with. A person has the utmost decision of who they want to get intimate with. This is what makes rape an offence. Another concept stemming from this is marital rape which means that a woman can be raped by husband. Responsible sex has its foundation in consent. Without consent, that sex is rape.
Body autonomy also concerns access to the health care system. Everyone is entitled to a quality healthcare system. Maternal mortality is a recurring problem in the healthcare system. Women have met early graves due to the incompetence of the healthcare system. Just because she wants to exercise a reproductive function, a woman is on 60-40 chance of a safe delivery in most developing countries.
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Body autonomy solely lies on gender equality
āGender inequality is perhaps the most widespread hindrance to bodily autonomy and achieving bodily autonomy depends on achieving gender equality.ā- My Body, My Choice: Promoting Bodily Autonomy and Gender Equality in Nigeria| Nigeria Health Watch
Without body autonomy, gender equality cannot thrive. When it comes to the concept of childbearing, a woman needs to exercise her child-bearing. She can decide whether to get married or even bear kids without public sentiment.
The concept of body autonomy might sound extreme but in the real sense, it is a better option than reproductive coercion. Men get to choose whether or not they want to father a child by their words or actions. Those that decide not to do it out of irresponsibility. But for a woman, she is stuck with her child just like a kid follows a nanny goat.
A woman’s right to autonomy over her body and reproductive choices is essential to her fundamental rights to equality and privacy. This includes the freedom to make decisions about her physical and psychological well-being, free from discrimination or coercion.
Equal access to reproductive health is crucial, encompassing affordable, quality contraception, including emergency contraception. Empirical evidence shows that countries where women have access to comprehensive reproductive rights, including safe and legal abortion, and accurate information on all contraceptive methods, have significantly lower abortion rates.
Regrettably, the World Health Organization reports that 225 million women worldwide lack access to modern contraception, hindering their ability to exercise control over their reproductive lives. This stark disparity underscores the urgent need for increased global efforts to ensure universal access to reproductive health services.
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