“My body, my choice” was coined as a feminist struggle setting the tone of this podcast addressing women and girls’ sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Women’s equal access to labour and their full control over their own bodies namely constitute the two core preconditions for women’s full emancipation. In fact, a woman’s power to control her own body is linked to how much control she has in other spheres of her life. It also lies in the European Union’s hands to demonstrate leadership in highlighting why bodily autonomy is a universal right that must be upheld by making SRHR a precondition for universal access to health and allowing no concession on this fundamental principle, such as the recently adopted report of the European Parliament on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU.
Recent developments across the Union namely reveal how serious many of the shortfalls in bodily autonomy are; many have worsened under the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, for instance, record numbers of women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence and harmful practices, seeing their rights regressing dramatically. In light of current anti-gender developments across Europe, Neil Datta (Secretary of European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights) engages in conversation with Laeticia Thissen (FEPS Policy Analyst for Gender Equality) showing, once more, that women’s rights and bodily autonomy are never granted but must constantly be fought for.
Fore more details, look up the full report “Tip of the Iceberg: Religious extremist - Funders against Human Rights for Sexuality & Reproductive Health in Europe”(June 2021) available here: https://www.epfweb.org/node/837
#96 FEPS Talks: Finding progressive pathways for sexual reproductive health and rights | FEPS Talks podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
