The Status of Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights

The consequences of sexual behaviour between women and men have driven a desire and determination of women to control their fertility, yet in an environment in which anti-choice legislators and organizations do not protect women’s reproductive rights, there is an ongoing dispute on who decides the fate of such rights. The status of women’s sexual and reproductive rights remains controversial and while there have been many attempts to gain such basic human right, the fight for reproductive freedoms remains intense.

While men are praised and rewarded for sexual prowess, women are often left with the responsibility of an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy, and thus suffering a damaged reputation. Abortion has been an ongoing controversial issue since the 19th century, surrounding the moral, legal, and religious aspect of the decision to terminate a pregnancy (Greenfield, L. & Siegel, R, 2011). The prevalence of such controversial debate still exists today in the United States, creating a belligerent battle between those who support abortion and those who oppose it. The Nation’s program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care, Tittle X allows millions of low-income people to rely on federal funding to access contraception and other essential health care (PPAF).

Regardless of one’s stance, the United States recognizes that every woman in the United States has the right to an abortion under the Supreme Court decision of Roe V. Wade in 1973. This is a turning point in public health policy, as Roe V. Wade made it possible for women to get save, legal abortion, however, anti-women health policy makers have made it increasingly difficult for women in the United Sates to access abortion services as a result of Roe V. Wade’s recognition that states have the right to enact and regulate laws that limits this right (Greenfield, L. & Siegel, R, 2011). TRAP laws are an example of policies that limit a woman’s access to abortion services by blocking their entry to safe medical care because they require more complicated and expensive procedures that low-income women can’t afford or do not qualify for.

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